Five days ago, the district administration withdrew permission for namaz at eight of these sites in the city. (File) Amid the ongoing controversy over namaz in Gurgaon, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij Sunday said that religious events should only be held at religious places concerned.
Vij in a statement said: “Everybody should hold their religious functions at their religious places only. Without the administration’s permission, such events on roads should be avoided.”
Recently, the Gurgaon Police had arrested 26 protesters, including members of right-wing outfits, for attempting to disrupt and block Friday namaz in Gurgaon. This despite the fact that prayers were being held at 37 sites “designated” by the administration in May 2018 after consultations with members of Hindu and Muslim communities.
Five days ago, the district administration withdrew permission for namaz at eight of these sites in the city. The authorities stated the decision was taken after “objections from local residents and resident welfare associations”.
Speaking to The Indian Express earlier, Shehzad Khan, chairman of the Muslim Ekta Manch, had called the withdrawal of permission for namaz “unconstitutional”. “Where will we offer namaz? Gurgaon has over 5 lakh Muslims and only 13 mosques to offer prayers,” Khan had said, adding that “if Waqf board properties are cleared of encroachments, we can offer namaz there”.
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