AU VC wants azaan through loudspeakers near her home stopped
PRAYAGRAJ : Allahabad University (AU) vice chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava has urged senior administrative and police officials of Prayagraj to get azaan through loudspeakers stopped, claiming that the early morning call for prayer from the loudspeaker of a mosque near her home was disturbing her sleep.
The vice chancellor cited headache and loss in work hours as fallout of the morning azaan while seeking a quick response, officials confirmed.
Following the complaint, the mosque management committee on Wednesday changed the direction of one of the two loudspeakers on the minaret and also reduced the volume by half.
Kaleem-ur-Rehman, muttawali (caretaker) of Lal Masjid on Clive Road, said that after being informed by the local police about the problem being faced by AU VC, the mosque management committee immediately decided to take steps to redress the issue.
“The volume of the system, which was already a decibel less than the norm set by the court, has been further reduced by half and the direction of one of the loudspeakers has also been changed, so that it points away from the VC’s home,” he said.
The muttawali said that if the VC had simply spoken to the members of the mosque management committee, then they would have been obliged as their aim was never to cause any inconvenience to anyone living near the mosque.
Prof Sangita Srivastava took
over as the vice chancellor of AU on November 30, 2020. She is the first woman be appointed to the top post of the 133-yearold university that attained central status in 2005. Prof Srivastava is currently on long leave with effect from March 15 and Dean (Science) Prof Shekhar Srivastava is the officiating VC of AU.
In the letter bearing the subject “Noise pollution in the Civil Lines, Prayagraj” dated March 3 and addressed to Prayagraj district magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami, the VC complained that every morning at around 5.30, her sleep was disturbed due to the loud azaan from the mosque nearby.
Copies of the letter were marked to inspector general of police (Prayagraj zone) KP Singh, divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal and Prayagraj senior superintendent of police Sarvashresth Tripathi.
“The sleep so disturbed does not resume even after trying very hard. This also results in headache throughout the day, causing losses in work hours,” said the letter, a copy of which is with HT.
Quoting an old adage, “your freedom ends where my nose begins”, the VC, in the letter that has now also gone viral on social media platforms, claimed that this held true here as she was not against any religion, caste or creed and they may perform the azaan without the mike so that others were not disturbed.
“Even before Eid, they announce sehri on the mike at 4am. This practice also creates disturbance to other people. The Constitution of India envisages a secular and peaceful co-existence of all communities which needs to be practised in letter and spirit,” the letter said.
Appending a judgment passed by the Allahabad high court in a 2020 PIL, the VC has sought a quick response to “restore some peace and tranquility in the minds of all suffering from this loud azaan”.
The Allahabad high court’s bench of Justice Shashi Kant Gupta and Justice Ajit Kumar, in the order dated May 15, 2020 while hearing PIL number 570 of 2020 (Afzal Ansari and 2 others Versus State of UP), had held that azaan may be an essential and integral part of Islam but recitation of azaan through loudspeakers, or other sound amplifying devices, cannot be said to be an integral part of the religion, warranting protection of the fundamental right enshrined under Article 25 of the (26) Constitution of India, which is even otherwise subject to public order, morality or health and to other provisions of part III of the Constitution of India. Thus, under no circumstances sound amplifying devices can be permitted to be used between 10pm and 6am by the district administrations, the order says.
Furthermore, the court had ruled that azaan can be recited by muezzin from minarets of the mosques by human voice without using any amplifying device and such recitation cannot be hindered with under the pretext of violation of the guidelines issued by the State, to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
For his part, the Prayagraj district magistrate said, “The letter from AU VC has been received by my office and necessary action as per the law would be undertaken.”
The Prayagraj SSP said that a letter from the VC was received recently in this regard.
“Orders have been issued for a probe in this regard in light of the complaint and action as per law and guidelines by the officer concerned,” he added.
The university’s assistant public relations officer Chitranjan Kumar Singh said that he had no information in this regard at the moment.