According to a report by The Times of India, police directed at least 1,279 mosque committees and 199 temple committees to dismantle their sound systems for violating prescribed noise limits.
Police officials stated that the law is being enforced "equally across all religious institutions," without any bias toward a particular faith. This is the first time in West Bengal that police have engaged with governing bodies of places of worship to voluntarily remove public address systems.
Under West Bengal's "Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules, 2000," prior police permission, mandatory installation of sound limiters, and maintaining noise levels between 50 and 75 decibels are required for using microphones or speakers from 6 AM to 10 PM.
Meanwhile, the removal of microphones used for azaan (call to prayer) in mosques has sparked intense political and religious debate, with allegations that state police are pressuring mosques. Several mosque management committees have complained that local police verbally instructed them to take down microphones without issuing any written orders.
Representatives of several mosque and temple committees told The Times of India that police from local stations or outposts gave only oral directives to remove sound systems.
However, Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has asserted that the government is merely enforcing court-mandated noise pollution rules and is not discriminating against any religious institution.
He said that whether it is a mosque or a temple, sound-related religious activities must remain confined within the premises and should not spill outside. He added that police have been given necessary instructions in this regard.
After assuming power earlier this year, the BJP government in West Bengal decided in its first cabinet meeting to implement court-prescribed noise pollution regulations across all religious establishments.
A faction of the Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has reportedly planned to meet Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari today (Friday, August 7) to raise the issue.
