On Monday, Nashik Commissioner of Police Deepak Pandey said that prior police permission has to be taken for playing Hanuman Chalisa or some other Hindu bhajan by those intending to carry Hindu processions. Also, the playing of Hindu devotional songs will not be allowed within 15 minutes before and after the Islamic Azan, he added. The top cop told ANI that Hindus can't play devotional songs within 100 metres of a mosque. Apparently, all this has been done to maintain law and order.

The new norm has shocked many. Netizens are critical of the police and local administration for legitimizing intolerance. Columnist Pratyasha Rath tweeted that the norm will legitimize the claim of "Muslim areas and Muslim timings". She added, "Once exceptions for some are treated as the only way to maintain law and order, more and more exceptions will be needed to stick to it. The end state of this can be guessed."

Vikas Saraswat, a columnist, wrote, "Shameful and bigoted. This is Sharia rule."