Loudspeaker row: Police ask mosques in Karnataka not to violate noise pollution rule
Bengaluru, Apr 6: Mosques in Karnataka have started receiving notices from the police to use their loudspeakers within the permissible decibel levels.
The move comes after some right-wing outfits launched a campaign demanding shutting down of such loudspeakers, saying they caused disturbance for people living in surrounding areas.
In Bengaluru alone, about 250 mosques have received such notices and the mosque authorities have started installing devices that keeps the sound within the permissible level, sources said.
The Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood has directed all the police commissioners, inspectors general of police and the superintendents of police to check violation of noise pollution rules by religious institutions', pubs, night clubs and other institutions and at functions.
Some outfits had submitted memoranda to various police officers on Tuesday requesting them to check the "misuse" of loudspeakers from mosques which, they alleged, has been going on even in the silent zones such as hospitals, important government offices, schools and colleges.
The outfits alleged that the blaring loudspeakers of mosques disturb sleep in the morning causing discomfort to students, patients, elderly people and those who work at night.
Following the direction from the DGP, the Bengaluru police started issuing notices to the mosques.
Khateeb-o-Imam of Jamiya Masjid in Bengaluru, Maqsood Imran said the mosques in Bengaluru have started installing devices on their loudspeakers after the Bengaluru city police served them notices.
Over 200 to 250 mosques in Bengaluru have received the notice. We have been told to maintain the sound level. They have said that the directions issued by the Supreme Court need to be adhered to and if the orders are not followed then action will be initiated, the Imam told PTI.
He added that the mosque authorities have started fitting the device with the amplifier, which ensures that the sound does not cross the permissible level.
We also want to ensure that the Supreme Court order is followed. That's why we have readied the device and started fixing it in all the mosques. That device has already been installed in our Jamiya Masjid," he said.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
