Offer namaz in shifts: Yogi Adityanath's stern warning against prayers on roads

Yogi Adityanath said namaz would not be stopped in Uttar Pradesh but could not be offered on roads. The remarks prompted an AIMIM response questioning whether the same rule applies to road closures for puja and aarti.

In Short

• Yogi Adityanath said roads must remain open for commuters, emergencies
• He said officials would seek compliance through persuasion before action
• Chief Minister said public spaces can't be misused and law applies equally

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday issued a stern warning against the practice of offering namaz on roads, stressing that blocking traffic for such congregational gatherings will not be permitted by his government.

Speaking at an event in Lucknow, the Chief Minister said the Uttar Pradesh administration would first pursue compliance through persuasion. If that approach fails, he added, authorities would adopt other measures to ensure adherence to public order norms.

"You have to offer namaz, you can read it during your shift. We will convince you with love, and if that does not work, another method will be adopted," Adityanath said and also shared the video of his speech on X.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister stated that roads are meant for commuters, including workers, traders, patients and emergency services, and any obstruction affects daily life. He said no one has the right to halt traffic or convert intersections into gathering points.

"I am often asked whether, in Uttar Pradesh, people really do not offer namaz on the roads. I say clearly that it does not happen at all. Go and see for yourself. Roads are meant for movement. Can anyone come and create a spectacle on a crossroads and block traffic? What right does anyone have to disrupt public movement?" he said.

Adityanath also said that the rule of law applies equally to everyone and public spaces cannot be misused. "We will not stop namaz, but it should not happen on roads," he said.

This is not the first time the BJP leader has objected to namaz being offered in public spaces. During the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Chief Minister had criticised the then Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging that namaz was being allowed on streets while "curfews were imposed before Hindu festivals".

Reacting to the recent remarks made by Yogi Adityanath, an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) spokesperson, Asim Waqar, alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government views citizens through a religious lens, claiming there is differential treatment between Hindus and Muslims in the state.

"Yogi ji is saying, in UP there is rule of law. Roads are for walking on, not for offering namaz. If namaz cannot be offered on the road then why close the road for puja aarti? Is this the rule of law?" he asked.

- Ends