Amid the ongoing controversy overuse of loudspeakers for 'azaan' (call to prayer from mosques) and recitals of 'bhajans' (religious songs) by some saffron outfits at some places in Uttar Pradesh around 54,000 'illegal' loudspeakers were removed from religious places across the state after the state government issued a directive to the officials in this regard a few days back.
According to the sources, the sound level of over 60,000 loudspeakers installed at the religious places in the state was lessened and brought down within the permissible limits.
''All the loudspeakers which have been removed were installed without obtaining permission of the competent authority....in some places amplifiers were used to increase the sound level....they were also removed,'' said a senior police official here.
The official said that the local administration had been directed to ensure that there was no discrimination in removing the loudspeakers. ''The directive applies to all religious places,'' he added.
Sources said that the police officials took the religious leaders into confidence before removing the loudspeakers. ''In many places, the people associated with the management of the religious places themselves removed the loudspeakers,'' the official added.
The loudspeaker fixed atop the famous Gorakhnath Temple of which UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was the head, which earlier faced the road, was turned toward the temple so that the people outside did not have to hear the high decibel sound.
A controversy had erupted overuse of loudspeakers for the purpose of 'azaan' and several saffron outfits had demanded a ban on it. The saffron outfits had installed loudspeakers atop several houses in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi, and had started reciting 'bhajans' and other religious songs through them at high decibel levels during the 'azan'.
President of Shrikashi Vishwanath Gyanvapi Movement and BJP member Sudhir Singh had also asked all the Hindu residents of Varanasi to install loudspeakers atop their houses and join the recitation five times a day.
Earlier Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray had warned that his party workers would start reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' at high decibel levels if the state government did not get the loudspeakers removed from the mosques in Maharashtra.
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