Flowers for Kanwariyas, brickbats for namaz: Asaduddin Owaisi

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed Noida police's latest order against the offering of namaz in public places, alleging that the directive is hypocritical. Owaisi drew a comparison between the police's stance on kanwariyas (Shiva devotees) and Muslims.

On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police wrote to private companies and offices in Noida's industrial hub to ensure that their employees don't offer namaz in open public spaces, including parks.

According to a notice issued by the Sector 58 police station, companies located in the industrial area will be held responsible, if Muslim employees are found offering namaz in open public spaces. They have been asked to offer Friday prayers during work hours in mosques, idgahs or inside the premises of the company.

In a tweet, Owaisi wrote, "UP Cops literally showered petals for Kanwariyas, but namaz once a week



can mean disrupting peace & harmony. This is telling Muslims: aap kuch bhi karlo, ghalti to aapki hi hogi (No matter what you do, it is your fault). Also, by law, how does one hold an MNC liable for what their employees do in individual capacity?"

The AIMIM president was referring to an incident from August when an Additional Director General of the Uttar Pradesh Police, Prashant Kumar, was photographed showering rose petals on a procession of kanwariyas from a helicopter.

The UP Police had come under criticism when it remained silent on instances of hooliganism by Kanwariyas. In the month of August, kanwariyas unleashed a spate of violence in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi as they were seen blocking highways, attacking locals and vandalising public property, all while the police remained a mere spectator to the menace.