Controversy arises as IAS officer challenges loudspeaker use in temples over noise pollution
Bhopal: A woman IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh has sparked controversy by suggesting that the state government's order regulating loudspeakers at places of worship may be executed with religious bias. Shailbala Martin, a 2009-batch IAS officer, raised concerns about noise pollution from temple loudspeakers, questioning why they are allowed to disturb residents late into the night.
In a post on X, she expressed support for Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's initiative to regulate loudspeakers in temples, mosques, and churches, emphasizing that such regulation should be applied uniformly across all religious venues to alleviate noise issues for everyone.
However, her comments have drawn criticism from the Hindu organization Samskrit Bachao Manch, which accused Martin of "communalizing" the issue and claimed her statements offended Hindu sentiments. The group’s leader, Chandrasekhar Tiwari, warned that her remarks could disrupt communal harmony and advised her to avoid such sensitive topics in the future.
In a political twist, the Congress party has accused the ruling BJP government of religious discrimination in enforcing the loudspeaker regulation. Congress spokesman Abbas Hafeez claimed that the implementation of the order reflects a bias based on religious considerations. He urged the state government to acknowledge the issue raised by the IAS officer and rectify any discriminatory practices.
BJP spokesman Milan Bhargav, however, refuted allegations of bias, asserting that the government is adhering to the rule of law and acting constitutionally. He stated that the government has set a precedent by implementing the order without discrimination.
This is not the first time Martin has faced backlash for her statements. Previously, she received heavy criticism on social media when she addressed the plight of women in Manipur while responding to posts criticizing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over an incident in Parliament.
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UP man gets life term for electrocuting mentally challenged wife to death in Bareilly
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A local court here has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his mentally challenged wife by repeatedly electrocuting her while she was tied to a cot, lawyers said on Thursday.
Additional district government counsel Harendra Singh Rathore said Additional Sessions Judge Avinash Kumar Singh on Wednesday convicted Vinod Kumar (45) for killing his wife, Satyavati, in Chaina village of Bareilly district and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him.
According to the prosecution, he was allegedly frustrated with his wife Satyavati's mental illness and often assaulted her.
Rathore said the prosecution examined nine witnesses to establish the charges against him.
As per court records, on the night of May 1-2, 2022, when Satyavati was asleep, Vinod tied her hands and legs to a cot using ropes and then connected an aluminium cable to an electric board to repeatedly administer electric shocks to her.
"She writhed in pain, but the accused continued to electrocute her until she died," the prosecution said.
The court observed that the murder was carried out in an inhuman manner.
After committing the crime, the accused threw the rope and cable on the roof and left for work at a brick kiln around 2 am to create a false alibi.
He later tried to mislead the police and the victim's family by claiming that Satyavati, whose mental condition was unstable, had accidentally died by suicide after grabbing a live electric wire.
However, the victim's brother, Sanjeev, a resident of Shahjahanpur district, suspected foul play and lodged an FIR under sections 498A (husband subjecting wife to cruelty) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Nawabganj police station.
During the trial, the prosecution relied on the post-mortem report prepared by Dr Faraz Anwar, who stated that multiple electrocution marks found on different parts of the victim's body could not have been self-inflicted.
The police also recovered the rope and electric wire used in the crime on the accused's identification, officials said.
