In new information emerging about the men who performed namaz at Lulu mall in Lucknow on July 12, it appears that at least one of them was not facing the correct direction for the prayer. Moreover, the men finished their prayers in just a few seconds, suggesting that they didn’t know the first thing about offering the traditional Islamic prayer, and may have just been putting on a show for the cameras, perhaps in a bid to spark communal discord.
According to a report in National Herald, CCTV footage of the incident suggests that “it was a deliberate mischief to malign the mall and cause enmity and hatred between communities.” According to the report, eight men entered the mall together, but did not visit any shops or make any purchases. They just looked for a place to perform namaz. The men first tried the basement, ground floor and first floor, but could not find any space, as the mall that was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on July 10, had been attracting heavy footfalls ever since. They finally found some space on the second floor and six out of the eight quickly sat down for prayers while two others recorded videos.
According to another report in Amar Ujala, the men finished their prayers in a record 18 seconds! This despite the fact that ordinarily namaz takes at least 7-8 minutes. Also, it needs to be performed while facing kaba in Mecca, i.e west, but at least one of the men in the videos was not facing this direction. All this has given rise to concerns that perhaps the men had never performed namaz and were just staging the entire incident to disrupt communal harmony.
Lulu Mall is one of the largest retail outlets in northern India, boasting 300 shops spread over 2.2 million square feet with an 11-storey parking space. It is owned by Yussuffali M.A. from Kerala who runs the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Lulu Group, the multinational conglomerate. A few days after its inauguration, a video showing a few people offering namaz in a corner of the shopping mall, went viral on social media.
This sparked controversy and the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha then demanded that people boycott the mall. The group’s national spokesperson Shishir Chaturvedi was quoted by India Today as saying, “People offered namaz sitting on the floor in Lulu Mall, this video proves that government orders were violated in the mall. The government has directed that namaz cannot be offered in public spaces.” He also told The Telegraph, “We have also learnt that 70 per cent of the mall employees are Muslim and 30 per cent are Hindus. The mall is promoting Muslims and Islam.” Group members also alleged that a majority of the male employees were Muslim, while female employees were Hindu, sparking allegations of “Love Jihad”.
The organisation then filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the Lucknow Police, against “unknown Namazis” under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, mall authorities put up notices in different parts of the mall saying, “No religious prayers will be permitted in the mall.” After initial investigations, the police also found that no mall employee was involved in the incident.
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल वीडियो जिसमें लुलु मॉल परिसर में नमाज पढ़ने के संबंध में – थाना सुशांत गोल्फ सिटी ।@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/7OBoPplfKn
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE LUCKNOW (@lkopolice) July 14, 2022
Subsequently, a few members of another Hindutva group tried to enter the premises and chant Sundar Kand (a part of the Ramayana) on Friday, but they were apprehended by the police. ADCP South, Lucknow, Rajesh Srivastava had at time, told the Hindustan Times, “Three people were detained from the entry gate of Lulu Mall in Lucknow for allegedly attempting to recite Sundar Kand inside the mall premises.” They reportedly belonged to the Hindu Samaj Party.
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Lucknow: Lulu mall authorities put up notices prohibiting religious prayers on mall premises