Malegaon in Maharashtra saw a heated controversy on Wednesday after seven individuals were booked for offering namaz inside the Electricity Department office of the Malegaon Municipal Corporation. The incident took place on Monday when a group of residents visited the office to address power supply issues in their area.
A municipal corporation employee, Mahendra Raghunath Sawant, filed a first information report (FIR) alleging that the group had created chaos inside the office. A video showing nine or ten residents performing prayers inside the office went viral on Wednesday, drawing sharp criticism from several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, who demanded strict action against those involved.
Residents Explain Their Side
A representative of the residents told reporters that their visit was prompted by a power outage in the area. They arrived at the Electricity Department office to meet officials, but the officer in charge was not present. Since it coincided with the Asr prayer time, the residents said they performed their prayers inside the office to ensure the electricity issue was addressed, fearing that leaving could result in the meeting being cancelled.
“The officer was not present in his cabin, and it was time for Asr prayers, so we offered prayers inside the office,” the representative said. “If we had gone out, we would not have met the officer, and the electricity would not have been restored.”
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com. Read the full story here.