Lucknow: A police constable from the Cantonment Police Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow allegedly entered a mosque with his shoes during Friday prayers on April 10, to cut off the loudspeaker wire.
Videos circulating online show the constable, whose identity the UP Police strictly refrained from disclosing, on his patrol bike surrounded by a group of Muslim men who accused him of hooliganism and bullying.
According to the Muslim devotees, the officer entered the mosque with his shoes, which they considered disrespectful, when the Friday prayers were ongoing, and proceeded to cut the loudspeaker wires for “failing to maintain the Supreme Court orders on noise level.”
“Aap dadagiri kar rahe hai” “Yeh masjid ibadat ki jagah hai aap bina permission ke kaise aajainge batayye,” “Namaz ke beech me chadke khud jaake taar pahunchgaye,” were some of the statements the locals hurled at the constable while he tried calling in reinforcements.
(You are targeting us. This mosque is a place of worship; tell me, how can you just enter without permission? You climbed up right in the middle of the prayers and went straight for the wires yourself.)
The officer accused them of intimidating him, to which they replied, “Nobody is threatening you. We just want to know who gave you the permission to do such a thing.”
A senior police officer soon arrived, to whom one resident tried explaining that the constable in question had entered the mosque without removing his shoes and approached the loudspeaker to cut its wire.
The discussion heated up again as each person attempted to recount the incident. In the chaos, one person alleged that the constable threatened them, saying, “Tumlog namaz padhne ke layak nai rahoge (You all are not worthy of praying namaz).”
Police deny, say every accusation is a lie
The police firmly denied this version of events, stating that the constable did not enter the mosque wearing his shoes and that the conversation took place entirely outside.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Cantt Station House Officer (SHO) said, “He was patrolling around the area when he suddenly heard the sound from the mosque’s loudspeaker. Since it exceeded the minimum level directed by the Supreme Court to maintain, he approached them.”
The SHO said the incident was an anomaly as it does not happen often. When asked if he had actually cut off the wire and entered the mosque with his shoes, she stated, “Yeh ulti seedhi baat horahi hai. Aisa kuch nahi hua. (This is absolute nonsense. Nothing of the sort happened).”
“We held a meeting with the mosque committee and the issue is now resolved,” she added. The SHO refused to disclose the constable’s identity.
The Lucknow Police Media Cell reiterated the claims, saying the accusations leveled against the constable are a “lie.”
In an official statement released on X, the Lucknow Police dismissed the remaining allegations as baseless and said that peace and order have been restored at the scene.
“Given the sensitivity of the situation, senior officials also arrived at the scene and held talks with those concerned. The mosque’s Mutawalli assured that in the future, noise control equipment would be used in accordance with prescribed standards and that peace and order would be maintained,” the statement read.
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