Passports will be cancelled if namaz on roads, says Meerut SSP

Meerut: A day after Sambhal circle officer (CO) courted controversy by warning the minority community against any form of solidarity with Iran during Friday and Eid prayers, now Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey has stated that passports will be cancelled, if namaz is offered on the roads."There should be no namaz on roads, and if someone is still found flouting the rule, their passports will be cancelled, among other actions, against those violators," the SSP had said while issuing a diktat during a peace meeting ahead of Eid festivities.In a video now widely circulating on social media, Pandey can be seen purportedly stating, "The rules are very clear on the subject of praying on the roads and clear directions have been issued in this regard. There are 544 mosques and 146 Eidgahs in Meerut district and the management committees of all have agreed to fully comply. There is no doubt. But there are always a small percentage of violators for whom strict instructions need to be issued." When contacted, Pandey told TOI: "I have not issued anything new and have only laid down the orders of the previous years." He added that "although there is no provision of cancellation of passport as such, but police can always conduct inquiry against the violators about their criminal antecedents which can lead to the cancellation."Notably, Sambhal CO Kuldeep Kumar had cautioned against raising slogans or displaying solidarity with war-torn Iran during Friday prayers while addressing a similar peace meeting.Warning that any attempt to bring international conflicts into local religious gatherings "would not be tolerated", he said that "those having an itch over what is happening in Iran or showing strong support for that country in the West Asia conflict should instead go there."