Buldhana ban on azaan calls on loudspeaker lifted

Shishir Arya | TNN | Apr 30, 2020, 04:39 IST

Nagpur: After the Covid-19 lockdown prohibited all religious congregations, in Buldhana district the police had also prohibited azaan (prayer call from the mosques) from loudspeakers. The ban was only lifted after a clarification from state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
The move had drawn flak from the community, as the leaders said that even as gathering at mosques was not happening, azaan was still required to know the prayer timings. During the month of Ramazan, azaans are also required to know the time for breaking and starting the fast.
District collector Suman Chandra maintained that there was never a ban on azaan as part of Covid-19 lockdown. “Only gathering for namaz is not allowed,” she said. Locals, however, said that the ban was imposed by the police.
When community leaders complained that the ban continuing, superintendent of police (Buldhana) Dilip Bhujbal said the ban has now been lifted. It happened after the home minster clarified and also put it up on social media.
Bhujbal said initially the ban was imposed considering that azaan was part of namaz, so it needed to be prohibited as well. Bhujbal also clarified that the ban was only on azaan through loudspeakers.
The original order at the time of lockdown had imposed restrictions on all kinds of religious gathering and also namaz. It was silent on azaan, however. It was interpreted that since namaz and azaan, which is the call to attend the prayer, go together, even the latter needs to be prohibited.
There are lines in the azaan in which people are told to come over for prayers. Clerics, who were asked if they could delete the specific lines, refused, said the officer.
Ishrar Deshmukh, a social activist and a YouTuber from Buldhana, said calls are being made from mosques on loudspeaker urging people to pray at home. However, as soon as an azaan call is made, a police vehicle rushes to the spot.