GURUGRAM: On Friday afternoon, Noor ul Hada had just started spreading the jainamaz (plastic prayer mats) on the footpath opposite Unitech Cyber Park in Sector 39, when he heard people shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki jai”. He had come to offer prayers with 300-400 people who were expected to gather soon. But within minutes, a group of men arrived and started threatening them, asking them to leave immediately.
Hada, a construction labourer, said his work takes him to many places in the city, and he doesn’t offer namaz at the same place every week. This Friday, he was assisting the maulana here to set up the ‘open masjid’.
There was a portable speaker for the call to prayer, but it hadn’t been used. There were plastic mugs for wazu (ablution), and water had been sprinkled on the footpath.
Faced with the threats, the imam left the scene. The prayer paraphernalia lay on the road, as devotees huddled in a corner, too scared to speak. “Humans don’t take anything with them when they die, except the goodwill of their deeds. What kind of punya (blessings) are they going to earn? We did them no harm,” said Hada.
Soon, several more faithful started gathering and asking if namaz would be held. Noor ud din, one of the late comers, said “The footpath belongs to the government. We’re not encroaching upon it. This is only a matter of 1-2 hours every week.”
The intruders, who had arrived in 10-12 cars, left as soon as the area SHO arrived. “Other cops who had so far done nothing, fled when he came,” said a devotee. “The closest
mosque is in Sector 57. There are two rounds of prayers there, but it’s always crowded,” Hada added.
Locals said several who pray in the
open are migrants. They do not file complaints when such cases occur. But everyone denied there are any Bangladeshis or Rohingyas in the city. “The truth is there are several people from other states. There are some Rohingyas in Nuh, none here,” said Shehzad Khan of Muslim Ekta Manch. “We are pardesis, where will we go?” asked Hada, who is from Bihar.