A day after UP Minister Anand Swaroop Shukla's statement on the veil worn by Muslim women - Burqa - created a flutter, a letter by him to the District Magistrate seeking action against Muslim call for prayers - "Azaan" - through loudspeakers has also come to light.
The BJP MLA wrote a letter to the Ballia District Magistrate seeking action to lower the volume of Azaan through loudspeakers. In his letter, he alleged that the Azaan disturbs students and disrupts his meditation or when he does any official work at his home.
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"Religious publicity takes place through loudspeakers. Information regarding donations for the construction of mosques is disseminated in an extremely loud volume. This has an adverse impact on students, elder citizens and the health of patients. The common public is facing extreme noise pollution," Anand Swaroop Shukla wrote in his letter, as reported by news agency PTI.
"Namaaz is offered five times a day, as a result of it, I face problems in doing yoga, meditation, puja and discharging government duties," Shukla further added in his letter to Ballia DM.
Meanwhile, Ballia District Magistrate Aditi Singh has replied to the letter of the UP Minister assuring him of "suitable action" to be taken.
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"The Supreme Court, high court and the state government had issued directives on the use of loudspeakers at public places. SDMs (subdivisional magistrates) and SHOs (station house officers of police) have been asked to implement them," Ballia DM Aditi Singh said.
Earlier, a similar complaint was made by Allahabad University Vice-Chancellor Sangita Srivastava. She had complained that she is forced to wake up too early due to Azaan.