Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district have registered a case against Maulana Rafique Khan, the imam of a mosque in Ghumthal village, for allegedly violating noise limits while using a loudspeaker, The Indian Express reported on Monday.
According to the police, Khan had been repeatedly warned to keep the loudspeaker volume within permissible levels after receiving complaints from residents. However, the specific decibel level of the alleged violation was not mentioned.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint from Sub-Inspector Sonu Chaudhary, who claimed he found the mosque’s loudspeaker exceeding the allowed volume during a routine patrol. “When his instructions were ignored, the officer lodged a formal complaint that led to the registration of the FIR,” said Manoj Verma, Station House Officer of Baniyather Police Station.
The case has been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to disobedience of a public servant’s order and causing nuisance after being directed to stop.
Verma added that some villagers had earlier complained about the loudspeaker being played at high volume. “A police team had already visited the mosque and advised the imam to lower the sound. Since the violation was repeated, we have initiated legal proceedings,” he said.
Police officials described Ghumthal as a Hindu-majority village and said security personnel have been deployed there as a precaution to prevent any potential unrest.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.