Ban on loudspeakers, locals make ‘sehri’ calls during Ramzan in Sambhal

It is 3 am and the only figure visible in Sambhal city's dark-lit bylanes is a lonesome man, walking down lazily with a kaftan loosely draped around his neck and a green 'saafa' covering his head.

Ever since the beginning of Ramzan, Mohammad Suhail has been giving a wake-up call to the 'rozedaars' (people observing fast during Ramzan) to begin their 'sehri' (the meal before the fast).

With a drum hanging around his neck, Suhail shouts, "Uth jao bhaiyo, sehri ka time ho chuka hai..." He repeats his message twice and then beats the drum.

Muslims have been forced to return to the rather primitive practice due to the Uttar Pradesh government's ban on loudspeakers at religious places in 2022.

"Now, it is 3 am. It is the time for sehri. Loudspeakers are not allowed, so people who are sleeping are unable to get up. For them, I beat the drum, so that the 'rozedaars' can wake up, and perform their 'sehri' and then observe the fast," Suhail told PTI Videos.

Suhail is not the only one forced to strain his vocal cords. With the loudspeakers gone, muezzins too are now giving 'azaan' — a call for prayer — shouting from the mosques' rooftops.

Several loudspeakers, apparently taken off from mosques, lay before policemen when PTI visited a local police station. On December 13 last year, an Imam was fined Rs 2 lakh for allegedly using a loudspeaker for azaan beyond the permissible decibel limits.

Sambhal shot to front-page headlines after riots broke out there last November, following a survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people were killed and several, including police personnel, were injured in the clashes.