Will Respond With Hanuman Chalisa If Azaan is Played on Loudspeaker, Reiterates Raj Thackeray | LIVE Updates

Loudspeaker Row: On April 12, Raj Thackeray had given an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which his party workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers. 

Mumbai: Maharashtra has been put on a high alert as Raj Thackeray seems undeterred with his anti-loudspeaker campaign. Barricades have been put at various places and vehicles are being checked since late night to prevent any untoward incident. Besides, heavy police deployment has also been made outside the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief’s residence here. As a precautionary measure, Mumbai police have issued a notice to MNS Chief Raj Thackeray under Section 149 of CrPC over his ultimatum. For the unversed, the loudspeaker row kicked off when Thackeray on April 12 gave an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3. The MNS supremo had warned that his party workers will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers if his demands were not fulfilled. Earlier in the day, several mosques in and around Mumbai muted their loudspeakers during azaan following Thackeray’s threat. Late last night, the MNS chief had called upon the people to play ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside those mosques where “azaans’ (prayer calls) are sounded from Wednesday. “I appeal to all Hindus that tomorrow, the 4th of May, if you hear the loudspeakers blaring with azaans; in those very places, play the Hanuman Chalisa on the loudspeakers! That’s when they will realise the hindrance of these loudspeakers!” he had said.

Here are the LIVE Updates on Loudspeaker Row:

• We will continue playing Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques at the time of Azaan until all illegal loudspeakers will be removed. I have to see what Supreme Court is doing if govt is not following its order, said MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
• My point is that all illegal loudspeakers should be removed from mosques, until they are removed we will continue our agitations, MNS chief Raj Thackeray added.
• There is no religious enmity. We want illegal loudspeakers to be removed as people are suffering, says Raj Thackeray.
• Loudspeakers remained switched off during azaan at several places in Maharashtra, including Parbhani, Osmanabad, Hingoli, parts of Jalna, Nanded, Nandurbar, Shirdi, and Shrirampur. At some places, they were used on low volume.
• I have received calls from many officers since morning, says Raj  Thackeray, claiming that he had got a lot of support.
• MNS workers who are abiding by rules are also being arrested, says MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
• MNS chief Raj Thackeray addresses a press conference
• Over 250 Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers have been arrested for playing Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers.
• Police detains Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Secretary Ajay Shinde along with six others after they perform Maha Aarti in Khalkar Hanuman Mandir in Pune.

Maharashtra: Police detains Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Secretary Ajay Shinde along with six others after they perform Maha Aarti in Khalkar Hanuman Mandir in Pune pic.twitter.com/ydWGER2p4R

— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2022

• The situation is under control. Many Mosques did not play morning Azaan on loudspeaker voluntarily, following SC guidelines. 2500 security personnel were deployed across the city to maintain law & order, said Police Commissioner Pune Amitabh Gupta.
• Pune Police detained MNS Gen Secretary Ajay Shinde along with 6 others after they performed “Maha Aarti” in Khalkar Hanuman Temple. They were detained as per preventive action, said Pune Police officials.
• In Mumbai, there are a total of 1,140 Mosques of whom as many as 135 used loudspeakers before 6am today. Appropriate action should be taken against these 135 mosques that went against the orders of the Supreme Court of India, informed Maharashtra Home Department.
• There is peace in Maharashtra and no protest is happening in the state. No illegal loudspeakers running in the state… Bal Thackeray & Veer Savarkar are the ones who taught Hindutva to the country. Shiv Sena’s school of Hindutva is original, said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.
• Taking to Twitter, Raj Thackeray shared a video of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. In the video, Bal Thackeray  can be heard saying that the Shiv Sena will not rest until it is successful in preventing people from offering namaz on roads when it comes to power in the state.
• “We (Shiv Sena) will not stop until we are successful in preventing the people from offering namaz on roads when we will form the government in Maharashtra,” Bal Thackeray said in the video posted by the MNS chief on his Twitter handle today.

pic.twitter.com/S0t3vi9X48

— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) May 4, 2022

• A case was filed against Raj Thackeray on Tuesday when he appealed to people to play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers in the areas where loudspeakers are used for ‘Aazan’ from today.
• He had also announced that he will hold more rallies in Marathwada, Vidarbha and other cities as well.
• Security tightens near Puneshswar Hanuman Temple at Kasba Peth area in Pune over MNS announcement of “Maha Arti” in the temple amid loudspeaker row.