Senior BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya wrote to Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, arguing for an immediate halt to the practice of stopping Ram Navami and other Hindu festival processions in the name of namaz timings or mosques. The letter, dated March, 31, 2026, cites recent incidents in areas such as Chembur, Ghatkopar and Powai during Ram Navami processions on March 26.
Somaiya argued that over the past few years, police have imposed restrictions in Mumbai and across Maharashtra, such as prohibiting processions from passing mosques, enforcing silence 200–300 metres away, or diverting routes even for unauthorised structures on public land.
In his letter, Somaiya detailed several specific issues:
Processions halted during namaz timings.
Mandatory silence near mosques, even as loudspeakers broadcast azan.
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Route changes are demanded for both official and illegal mosques, including those on encroached government land.
Police cited unwritten or written SOPs (standard operating procedures), with some officers allegedly threatening organisers.
Kirit Somaiya attached complaints from procession organisers, including one stating that on 26 March, a Ram Navami procession in Ghatkopar’s Bomkhan was stopped for 45 minutes due to namaz.