Delhi mosques on Saturday ignored the police’s request to ask worshippers to refrain from attending the protests seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. No imam delivered a special sermon on the subject in the mosques in Old Delhi, Okhla in south-east Delhi and north-east Delhi. Almost all imams maintained silence on the issue, leaving the worshippers to decide for themselves. No circular was issued either.
This was contrary to the note of caution struck by Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, chairman, All India Imam Association, who had asked the community members to refrain from participating in the agitation. “Certain forces are working to disrupt peace in the country. It is best to stay away from the protests,” he said, advising the imams in other mosques to ask the youngsters to stay away from the protests. His words went unheeded.
In the well-known Rang Mahal Masjid, the attendance throughout the day was normal. Neither the imam nor the management committee repeated the advice of Delhi Police. Earlier, on Thursday and Friday many mosques were visited by Delhi Police personnel who cautioned the men about attending the protests, advising them to “use their wisdom instead of being led by half-baked information”.
In some cases, a policeman issued the advice standing near the ‘mimbar’, the place from where the imam delivers the sermon, even as the imam looked on. Roshan-ud-Daula or Sunehri Masjid, a prominent mosque in Daryaganj, was among the mosques visited by local police on Friday. On Saturday, the mosque left the worshippers to decide for themselves about participating in the protests in and around Jantar Mantar.
The situation was the same at Dayee Masjid as well as at Keekar and Momin Masjid. Speaking to The Hindu, Iftikhar Hashmi, an Islamic scholar, said, “No mosque got into the politics of the affair. No circular was issued. No imam made it a part of the Friday sermon or any other talk at the Fajr (pre-dawn) prayers.”
At the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind mosque too, the authorities steered clear of the controversy. The local police visited the complex on Friday morning. However, the authorities refused to accept their request. During the khutba (sermon), no mention was made of the protests. The imam maintained silence on the subject. A staffer said, “In a democracy, people have the right to protest peacefully. Equally, I believe the men who come here are wise enough to decide for themselves.”
The situation was the same in Shiv Vihar, which bore the brunt of the February 2020 violence. The mosques here and in the neighbourhood of Bhagirathi Vihar, Mustafabad, etc. steered clear of raking up the anti-CEC protests.
Said Inamur Rehman, who is a regular worshipper in Chand Masjid, “The situation here was normal. Those who wanted to participate in the protests were not stopped. Those who did not want to go were not encouraged to go. But at the ground level, people identified with the protesters because so many people from the community have been excluded from voting rights after SIR (special intensive revision) began.”
Published – October 11, 2026 01:10 am IST
