IAS Officer Questions Loudspeakers In Temples, Sparks Row

She also alleged that many processions with DJ music blaring passed through the VIP Char Imli locality in Bhopal, where the Bhopal Police Commissioner and many ministers and officers reside.

Senior IAS officer Shailbala Martin has questioned the public address system installed at temples, sparking a controversy. The 2009-batch officer, currently serving as Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department, made the remarks after the death of a 13-year-old boy during the Durga idol emersion in Bhopal. The boy was dancing to a DJ sound and collapsed all of a sudden and died on Friday.

Rightwing organisation 'Sanskriti Bachao Manch' head Chandrashekhar Tiwari said they would stage a protest against the officer.
"You are comparing temples with mosques. The mosques cause much more disturbance through their shrill azaan five times a day, including at 5 AM. The temples only do chanting of hymns and that too for a short duration," Tiwari said.

The controversy began after a journalist on the social media platform X questioned the disparity in enforcement, focusing on the use of public address systems in mosques and the prevalence of DJs playing music outside these spaces. The IAS officer, responding to the tweet, said noise pollution caused by the public address system in temples is often overlooked.

She also alleged that many processions with DJ music blaring passed through the VIP Char Imli locality in Bhopal, where the Bhopal Police Commissioner and many ministers and officers reside.

IAS Made A Biased Remark: BJP

BJP spokesperson Milan Bhargava said she made a biased remark. "I feel there are doubtful intentions, as she being an IAS officer herself must ensure that the law and rules are followed, but she is questioning only the loudspeakers on Temples," he said.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Spokesperson Abbas Hafeez said IAS officer Shailbala Martin has raised a genuine question. "A senior officer has raised questions on the BJP government's biased action against the public address system," Hafeez said.

Martin began her career in the State Civil Service before being promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on June 12, 2017, according to the state government website. With a BA and an MA in Arts from Holkar Science College in Indore, Martin joined the State Civil Service in 2009.