MP: Woman IAS Officer Raises Issue of Temple Loudspeakers, Sparks Row

 Bhopal: A Madhya Pradesh cadre woman IAS officer has hinted at the alleged religious discrimination in the execution of the order by the state government to regulate use of loudspeakers at places of worship triggering a row with a Hindu body advising her to steer clear of such sensitive issues.

The 2009-batch IAS officer Shailbala Martin, while replying to a post on the issue on X, wondered if the loudspeakers in the temples blaring late into the night are not causing noise pollution and disturbance.

In another post on X earlier, she hailed the move by the chief minister Mohan Yadav to order regulation of loudspeakers at all places of worship such as temple, mosque and churches to curb noise pollution and quipped that if the order will be executed at all religious venues without any discrimination, then it would bring relief to all.

Samskrit Bachao Manch, a Hindu body, has accused the IAS officer of ‘giving a communal twist’ to the execution of the loudspeaker order by the government and said that ‘It hurt religious sentiments of Hindus’.

The head of the body Chandrasekhar Tiwari feared that such statements may disturb communal harmony and advised the IAS officer to steer herself clear of such sensitive issues.

Congress on Monday accused the state BJP government of showing discrimination on the basis of religion in implementing the order.

Congress spokesman here Abbas Hafeez alleged that the order by the state government has been found to be implemented on religious consideration.

The state BJP government should realise its mistake and correct it in the wake of an IAS officer raising the issue, he said.

BJP spokesman Milan Bhargav has however dismissed the charges of discrimination by the state government in implementing the loudspeaker order, saying that ‘The government is duly following the rule of the law and constitution. Our government has set an example by implementing the government order without any discrimination”.

Months ago, she was trolled heavily on social media when she raised the issue of the plight of Manipur women while reacting to posts slamming Congress Rahul Gandhi for the fly kiss episode in the parliament.