A senior state police officer said on Wednesday that over 6,000 loudspeakers in religious places in Uttar Pradesh have been removed and the volume of another 30,000 of them lowered to permissible levels over the past four days. Earlier this month, the state government ordered all districts to comply with UP Pollution Control Board’s loudspeaker standards by April 30.
Across the state, a campaign is underway to remove loudspeakers from religious places and limit their volume. As a result of this exercise, 6,031 loudspeakers were removed and the volume of 29,674 others was reduced to permissible limits,” said Prashant Kumar, additional director general (law and order).
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister, stated last week during a law and order review conference with senior officials that everyone has the right to practice their religion, but that they must ensure that their practice does not disrupt others. “While microphones can be utilized, make sure the sound does not emanate from any of the buildings.” “There should be no problems for others,” the chief minister told officials.
Religious leaders from both Hindu and Muslim groups in numerous regions, according to a home department official, have unanimously decided to limit the level of loudspeakers.
