UP: Sambhal mosque imam fined Rs 2 lakh for loudspeaker noise violation

PTI, Dec 14, 2024, 9:54 AM IST

Sambhal (UP): Days after violence over surveying of a Mughal-era mosque at Sambhal which killed four people, an imam of another mosque here was fined Rs 2 lakh for allegedly using a loudspeaker at high volume on Friday, officials said.

The incident took place in the Anar Wali Masjid in the Kot Garvi area, according to administration officials.

“The loudspeaker was being used at high volume in the mosque, prompting action in the case. The imam, identified as 23-year-old Tahzeeb, was fined Rs 2 lakh as a precautionary measure and has been granted bail,” Sambhal Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vandana Mishra said.

The imam has also been directed to refrain from similar conduct for the next six months, according to an order passed by the SDM.

Sambhal has been tense since violence on November 24 during a clash between locals and security personnel over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in the Kot Garvi area.

The violence left four people dead and several others injured in its wake, as the episode snowballed into a major political controversy finding echo in Parliament too.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who made her maiden speech on Friday as a Lok Sabha MP, launched a blistering attack at the BJP. Participating in a debate on the Constitution in Lok Sabha, the newly elected member of Parliament from Kerala’s Wayanad raised the opposition’s key planks which included the BJP’s alleged attempts to change the Constitution, “growing monopoly” of the Adani Group, atrocities on women, incidents of violence in Sambhal and Manipur, and the demand for a nationwide caste census.

Mamlook Ur Rehman, father of Sambhal Lok Sabha MP Zia Ur Rehman, on Friday alleged police atrocities on the locals in the wake of the November 24 violence and said the atmosphere will not improve here until the arrests stop.

Zia Ur Rehman, the Samajwadi Party (SP) MP, is an accused in the case of last month’s violence in which four people lost their lives while several more were left injured during clashes with security personnel over a court order survey of the Mughal-era mosque. Around 40 suspects have been arrested so far in the case, according to police.

Talking to reporters after offering Friday prayers at the Shahi Jama Masjid, Mamlook Ur Rehman hailed the decision of the Supreme Court, which has restrained courts from entertaining fresh lawsuits and passing any effective interim or final orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs.