GURUGRAM: Gautam Saini, who claims to be the district president of
Shiv Sena, has alleged he has received a threat from
Pakistan over the recent namaz controversy.
On Tuesday afternoon, he allegedly received a video call on WhatsApp from a caller in Pakistan, who threatened him to stop opposing Muslim prayer meets in open areas of the city. On Wednesday, Saini submitted a complaint to the police commissioner, seeking protection, which was forwarded to the cyber cell of Gurugram police. Saini said at around 3pm on Tuesday, he received a WhatsApp video call from the number +923175451877 on his personal mobile number.
“The caller identified himself as Pakistani. He started his conversation very nicely and slowly moved to elaborate about my family members,” said Saini, adding the caller had detailed information about his family members.
Saini said the caller then asked him to distance himself from the people opposing namaz in open areas.
“He asked me to stop opposing prayer congregations, or face consequences,” said Saini, adding he was threatened with death. “Initially, I ignored the call, but after talking to my friends and family, I decided to file a complaint,” said Saini, adding police should provide security cover to him and his family members.
“A complaint was received and the matter has been marked to the cyber cell for a probe,” said Ravinder Kumar, the police spokesperson.
The controversy over prayer congregations in open areas started in the last week of April, when a video showing youths disrupting a prayer in Sector 43 went viral. Following a complaint, six youths from Badshapur and Kanhai villages were arrested. The arrest galvanised local Hindu outfits, who formed a joint forum to oppose prayer meets in open areas and government land. Friday prayer in open areas were disrupted across Gurugram by Hindu groups in the following weeks, after which, the administration conducted a series of meetings with different groups to reduce the number of prayer meets in open spaces to 40, from over 100.
On May 29, seven people, all from the minority community, attacked an imam as he conducted a meeting inside a mosque near Rajiv Chowk, to urge his flock not to congregate for prayers at disputed places.
(Representative image)