Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, a conglomerate of 22 local units of Hindu outfits, on Friday said the month-long deadline for allowing Friday prayers in open spaces in Gurugram had ended and it would not be allowed from December 10.
Samiti’s president Mahavir Bhardwaj, in an interaction with media persons, said that December 4 deadline for offering Friday prayer (Jumma Namaz) at public places had ended. Following the opposition to offering of namaz in the open in 2018, the Muslim community members had been offering Friday prayer at 37 designated places across the city. But these were reduced to 20 after fresh protests earlier this year.
“Muslims had agreed to reduce the number of designated open spaces from 37 to 20 and we had allowed them a month’s time to offer prayer at these places. The December 4 deadline for it is Saturday. We will not allow Jumma Namaz in the open at any of these 20 spaces from December 10. We want to bring it to the notice of the administration and the Government,” said Mr. Bhardwaj.
Earlier, a large number of locals led by Bharat Mata Vahini leader Dinesh Bharti staged a protest at a site in Sector 37 with almost a face-off between the two groups. Men wearing saffron scarves raised slogans and called for stopping the prayer in the open. Some of them had parked their trucks at the ground claiming they did not have space to park them elsewhere.
However, the police detained a few protesters and Muslims were allowed to offer prayer amid tight security. It is the second successive Friday that the site had witnessed protests.
‘Complete mayhem’
Gurugram Muslim Council member Altaf Ahmad said it was complete mayhem at Sector 37 where right-wing groups not only disrupted Jumma Namaz but also stripped Muslims of praying with dignity. “It is a deliberate attempt to disturb peaceful prayer and communal harmony of this cosmopolitan city. The permission for Friday prayer had been given by the administration in 2018, yet the fringe elements were allowed to reach the site. It is shocking and a sad reflection of events in this Millennium City,” he said.
