Dilip Walse Patil, home minister in the government of Maharashtra, on Monday said that top officials of the state police and Mumbai police would prepare guidelines on the use of loudspeakers at religious places and that the guidelines would be issued in a couple of days.
"The state's director general of police [Rajnish Seth] and Mumbai CP [Sanjay Pandey] will sit together and prepare guidelines [on the use of loudspeakers] for the state. These guidelines will be issued in a day or two. All will have to implement them", Patil said.
The comments from the minister came amid pressing demand of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the removal of loudspeakers from mosques.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray on 2 April asked the state government to have loudspeakers removed from mosques by 3 May. He argued that members of other communities are unwillingly forced to listen to the prayers of Muslims due to the loud sound.
Thackeray warned the state government that if it failed to do so, his party workers would play the song Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers at temples.
A day after he issued the demand, his party workers in several parts of the state did play Hanuman Chalisa.
BJP politician Mohit Kamboj, meanwhile, has offered to donate loudspeakers to Hindus and their temples to play the song.
The issue was also raised by a Hindu organisation in Karnataka on 3 April. Chief of Sri Ram Sena Pramod Muthalik warned the state government that if it did not remove loudspeakers from mosques, his organisation would play devotional songs every day in the evening to drown out the call to Muslim prayer.
Nashik Police Ban Playing Hanuman Chalisa Ahead of Azaan
Meanwhile, local police in Nashik city in Maharashtra have banned playing Hanuman Chalisa or Hindu devotional songs on loudspeakers 15 minutes before or after Azaan is offered.
The police have also banned the usage of loudspeakers at religious places without permission and asked all such locations to obtain permits by 3 May.
“All religious places have been directed to take permission for the use of loudspeakers by 3 May. After 3 May, if anyone is found violating the order, legal action will be taken", Nashik Police Commissioner Deepak Pandey said. “Permission has to be taken for playing Hanuman Chalisa or devotional songs. It will not be allowed 15 minutes before and after the Azaan. Also, it will not be allowed within 100 metres of a mosque. The aim of this order is to maintain law and order".