Bajrang Dal activists protest offering of namaaz in Bhopal mall

They said they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa if the practice was not stopped

Bajrang Dal activists on Saturday objected to a group of men offering namaaz inside a mall in Bhopal and said that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa hymn there.

A video of the incident in DB Mall, Bhopal’s biggest mall, has gone viral. In the video, activists of right wing outfit are seen objecting to the men offering namaaz, according to police sources.

According to the protesters, they “caught 10 to 12 people offering namaaz”. Bajrang Dal ‘Vibhag Sah-Sanyojak’ Abhijeet Singh Rajput, who led the protestors, said, “We have been getting information for the last one month that some people were offering namaaz on the second floor of DB Mall. We reached there today and filmed 10 to 12 people offering namaaz.” The Bajrang Dal had raised an objection with the DB Mall management, but no official was present, he said.

“We spoke to the security supervisors and warned them to stop the practice or Bajrang Dal members will recite the Hanuman Chalisa and the Sundar Kand (a part of the Ramayana),” Mr. Rajput said.

No police complaint was made in connection with the incident. A senior police officer said that there is a State law in Madhya Pradesh that prohibits the use of any non-religious public or private place for religious activity without the permission of the Collector. In such a case, the offering of namaaz, or reciting the Hanuman Chalisa or any other prayer, would be a violation.