People in Karnataka began from May 9 to get up at 5 am to pray, sing or curse.
Muslims in the southern Indian state start their day with Azaan announced through loud-speakers fit atop mosques. Hindus, on the hand, use the public address system to counter the Muslim call to prayer with “Suprabhata” and “Hanuman Chalisa” (hymns in praise of Lord Hanuman).
Pramod Muthalik, founder of the Sri Ram Sena (army of Lord Ram), on May 9 opened the Hindu prayer at 5 am in temples of Mysore temples. More than 1,000 Hindu temples in the state also did the same, he claimed.
A controversy over Muslim using loudspeakers to announce Azaan was reported from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. They have enacted laws to control the use of loud-speakers by any religious group. The Uttar Pradesh government of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has removed 54,000 unauthorized loudspeakers from religious places.
The Karnataka government, led also by the BJP, is yet to en-act a law on loudspeakers. How-ever, it has succeeded in controlling Muslim girl students wearing veil in schools. Muslim traders are reportedly barred from Hindu festival while people are urged to avoid food prepared according to Muslim customs or Malls owned by Muslims.