A video of men offering namaz being performed onboard a train is going viral on social media. The viral video is reportedly from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. In the footage, a group of people in the sleeping class is seen praying in the gallery while also blocking onlookers. An ex-BJP MLA reportedly recorded the video. According to the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the incident will be investigated thoroughly. The video went viral on Friday, 21 October 2022.
The video of namaz is from Satyagraha Express having train number 15273. Passengers are seen sitting on both sides of the sleeper class coach in the viral video. In the passageway, a sheet has been placed on which four namazis can be seen praying in a queue. During this time, another person protecting these Namazis requests that commuters halt and wait. Women can also be spotted among the passengers who are inconvenienced.
ट्रेन में नमाज। pic.twitter.com/7vPjSPIlIh
— Pradeep Srivastav (@pps2009gkp) October 21, 2022
According to media sources, the worshipers’ identities are yet to be ascertained. However, based on the information provided, this video was shot at Kushinagar’s Khadda railway station by former BJP MLA Deeplal Bharti. Describing such an act as exasperating, Deeplal Bharti said that he himself was travelling in the same train. According to the former MLA, he was also one of the victims of inconvenience and had to sit in another coach. Deeplal Bharti has requested that those who committed this be held accountable.
After the video went viral, the administration acted quickly to initiate a probe. Both the Central Railway Protection Force and the Uttar Pradesh State Railway Police Protection Force have taken cognizance of the issue. The area’s SP Railway, Awadhesh Singh, asserted, “Investigation will be done and then further action will be taken on the matter.” The RPF Varanasi zone is also gathering information from the public and informing them about the inquiry and course of action at the same time.
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh | In a viral video, a few men were seen offering namaz onboard a train in Kushinagar.
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) October 22, 2022
“Investigation will be done and then further action will be taken on the matter,” says Awadesh Singh, SP on a viral video of namaz being offered onboard a train. pic.twitter.com/qYkBgPaHW4
This is not the first time the issue of offering namaz in public places has become an issue. Recently on October 4, two persons were found offering namaz at the Panchkula Bus Stand. Shlok Aggarwal, a resident of Panchkula, Haryana, shared a tweet on social media where he raised objection against the practice of using government property for religious activities.
In recent times, the issue became a reason for communal tension between Hindus and Muslims in Gurugram, where Muslims in large numbers would travel to public places to offer namaz. The matter resulted in clashes between the two communities, and the authorities had to revoke permissions to offer namaz in public places.
