Lucknow Mall Dismisses Muslim Bias Charge After Namaz Row: “80 percent Hindus”
In a statement released three days after a massive uproar over a video that appeared to show Muslims performing namaz inside the newly opened Lulu Mall in Lucknow, the mall’s managers claimed that 80% of its staff members are Hindu. The statement follows claims that the mall had a prejudiced hiring process and offered Muslims preferential treatment. The mall’s main firm, The LuLu Group International, is based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
According to the Lulu Mall Lucknow management, it is a completely professional establishment that conducts business without any discrimination, dispelling claims of a Muslim bias.
According to the statement, “Our staff are hired based on abilities and merit, not caste, class, or religion.”
It was further said that their staff were 80% Hindus with the remaining 20% being Muslims, Christians, and members of other faiths, adding that it was saddening that some self-centered individuals were attempting to attack their establishment.
According to the statement, people who “maliciously” attempted to organise prayers in a public space were dealt with appropriately by the mall administration, who also filed a FIR.
According to authorities, two individuals were recently detained when they entered the Lulu Mall on Saturday and began reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. At least 15 additional people were detained for making a scene as they attempted to enter the mall.
This comes after police filed a FIR against an unnamed group of persons who allegedly offered namaz at the mall lately under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different communities) and 295A (deliberate act designed to offend religious sentiments) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The complaint was filed by mall representatives, who insisted that the people in the video were not members of their staff.
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, opened the mall on July 10. The Lulu Group, based in Abu Dhabi and headed by Indian-born billionaire Yussuf Ali M. A., has inaugurated it.
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