Hindu residents of Gurgaon protest against the Namaz offering at a ground in Sector 47, Gurgaon amid police presence on Friday, October 15, 2021. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) Five members of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti — an association of several groups — met the Gurgaon deputy commissioner on Tuesday morning and submitted a memorandum, requesting the administration to put a stop to offering of Friday namaz in the open at public places.
After the meeting with the DC, the representatives of the group issued an ‘ultimatum’ declaring that they would not allow Friday namaz to continue in any public space.
“We are giving a polite warning. We won’t submit more memorandums. It will then be the responsibility of the administration to maintain peace, not ours. We are ready for lathis, we are ready to go to jail… we won’t run if we are shot at, but this will not be tolerated,” said Mahavir Bhardwaj, state president of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, Haryana.
Gurgaon DC Yash Garg said, “A memorandum from the group has been received. We are aware of the matter and are working to resolve it. All the duty magistrates and officials are on alert and we shall ensure that communal harmony is maintained.”
For several weeks now, residents and some people associated with the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and smaller outfits have gathered to raise slogans during namaz at different locations in the city. Last Friday, a group had disrupted namaz at Sector 12 chowk where heavy police force had been deployed.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bhardwaj said, “This cannot be allowed to go on. People who come to pray create nuisance on roads and obstruct movement, and peace is disturbed. Prayers can be offered in mosques, Waqf board land or in homes.”
The group added that the DC had assured them that a solution would be found soon.
On October 16, after chairing a meeting of the grievance redressal committee in Gurgaon, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said, “Everyone has a right to pray. No one should hurt the sentiments of others, nor should anyone disrupt the prayers. Prayers should be offered at the designated sites as suggested by the administration. At the same time, it should not lead to any hindrance related to any task or traffic. The administration is handling the situation and I have asked them to resolve the issue amicably with agreement of all parties.”
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