The Hanuman Chalisa row is intensifying in the country. Amid the tussle between the Rana couple and Shiv Sena, a video of some Indian men and women singing Hanuman Chalisa at the London Bridge is going viral on social media. In the video, a group is seen standing together and playing musical instruments as a man recites Hanuman Chalisa with a mic in his hand. There are multiple photos of a puja being performed too.
The video has gone viral on the micro-blogging platform and has over 16.5 k views at the time of writing this story. Many are lauding the video calling it an example of religious harmony. Watch the video here.
Meanwhile, closer to home, in a deft political move, Maharashtra's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Monday made police permission compulsory for using loudspeakers at all religious places in the state. Any unauthorised use of loudspeakers at all religious places or religious functions would invite strict punitive action against the violators, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said, as the 'azaan' row threatened to become a vexed issue between the MVA and the Opposition.
Walse-Patil said that a detailed notification on the proposal with the guidelines would be issued in the next couple of days by the Home Department.
The move comes after a high-voltage drama in which independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana threatened to march to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's private residence 'Matoshree' and chant 'Hanuman Chalisa'. It was followed by the couple's arrest from their Mumbai residence. The couple was picked up by the Mumbai Police for 'inciting' tension in Mumbai ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city to receive the first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award. They were also booked on charges of preventing the police from performing their duty.
After spending a night in the police station, the couple was remanded to judicial custody.
--with agency inputs