Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and MLA Nana Patole has been suspended from the assembly proceedings for a day for protesting in front of the speaker’s podium in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly against the ruling party’s derogatory and objectionable remarks on the farmers’ issue. Nana Patole had protested in the house against the derogatory remarks against farmers, after which this action has been taken. The derogatory remarks against farmers had led to a ruckus in the house.

The House was rocked by a ruckus after Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and BJP MLA Babunrao Lonekar made derogatory remarks against farmers, alleged Nana Patole. After which Nana Patole and opposition leaders reached the Speaker’s chair in protest, a ruckus broke out and demanded an apology for the remark. Speaker Rahul Narvekar asked the members to maintain order and sit in their seats, but the ruckus continued and Nana Patole was suspended from the Assembly for a day.

Addressing reporters on the ridicule of farmers, Congress leader Nana Patole said that those who insult farmers are given respect and those who fight for the rights of farmers are thrown out of the assembly. Nana Patole criticized the ministers of the state government and the central government and said that today farmers are being treated like beggars. He said that due to unseasonal rains, the crops of farmers have been destroyed and the government has not taken any effective steps to help the farmers and their insurance has also expired. The Congress leader, calling the government anti-farmers, vowed to continue fighting for their rights even after disciplinary action. He said that we will continue to fight against this corrupt and incompetent government even if we have to face suspension every day.

Mumbai: With mosques adopting new ways to summon the faithful for prayers after the enforcement of noise levels on loudspeakers, the sound of the azaan, or call to prayers, in Mumbai has become fainter.

Yusuf Ansari, who has an office in Govandi, said he cannot hear the azaan from the Madina Mosque, which is just 100 metres away. The mosque has replaced the loudspeakers with sound boxes that have lower volumes. The police commissioner of Mumbai has said that loudspeakers have been removed from 1500 mosques and other religious institutions to comply with the Bombay High Court’s directions.

After the enforcement of the noise rules, mosques that used loudspeakers to call devotees for the five daily prayers said they are adapting to the new requirements. While many have subscribed to mobile applications that allow mosques to send a live broadcast of the azaans on their phones, others are using sound equipment with sound levels below the legal limit. 

Bilal Mosque on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road (Grant Road), one of the largest mosques in the city, said the shrine is planning to buy new sound equipment that have noise levels lower than 55 dB (decibels) during the day, the legally permissible upper limit according to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. Aslam Lakha, mosque trustee, said that they are using microphones inside the mosque for prayers, but have stopped using loudspeakers for azaan. 

“The ban on loudspeakers has affected us, but we will have to follow the law. The trust is meeting to decide the next step. There is sound equipment that features noise levels up to 54 dB. We will install that,” said Lakha, who thanked the Mumbai police commissioner for handling the issue with sensitivity. “We have been told that we will have permission to use loudspeakers for festivals.”

Mahim’s Bismillah Mosque, one of the first to employ a mobile application that helps mosques play their azaans live to subscribers, recently shifted from a New York-based service to an app developed in India called ‘OnlineAzan’. Trustee of the mosque, Moinuddin Ali, said that around 225 people have subscribed to the mosque’s live azaans. “We also have our sound equipment, but adjust the noise to meet legal requirements,” said Ali.

The largest mosque in Mahim, the Juma Masjid, has registered with the same app. Till Monday, around 1200 devotees had subscribed to the service. Fahad Pathan, the mosque’s managing trustee, said that they preferred to subscribe to the Indian app after concerns about data stored in the service. “People were concerned about where their personal phone numbers and other data were going. This app is free and is financed by a Tirunelveli-based philanthropist,” said Pathan.

The meticulous registration process for the app means that data on the app is less likely to be misused. “Another feature is that the app only provides a live azaan service from the mosque of your choice. There are no advertisements or other services. You can leave one mosque and move to one closer when you are traveling,” added Pathan.

The enforcement of the noise rules created friction between the police and the Muslim community, with the former being accused of acting arbitrarily without warnings. A few residents of the city have filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court, seeking relaxation in the rules. Ansari’s Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Maharashtra Committee has collected 40,000 signatures from Muslims who want lenient rules. “We are also hoping that the Bombay High Court listens to the petition filed by community members,” said Lakha.

Mumbai: The Powai police, on Monday, registered a case against seven persons for allegedly obtaining jobs at the Currency Note Press (CNP) in Nashik through fake candidates and forged documentation.

The accused arranged for proxy candidates to appear for the recruitment examinations and submitted fake Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and diploma certificates to secure employment. A zero FIR was registered at the Nashik police station and was transferred to the Powai police station, as the examination was conducted in Powai.

The accused – Ravi Ranjan Kumar, Sandip Kumar, Shishupal Kumar, Ayush Raj, Rajeev Singh, Sandip Kumar, and Ashutosh Kumar, all residents of Nalanda, Bihar, are currently absconding. According to the police, examinations were held for the posts of junior technicians (print), junior technicians (electrical), and supervisors.

These examinations were conducted at Aurum IT Park on March 4 and March 13, 2022. The case has been registered under Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board, and Other Specified Examinations Act.