Namaz disrupted as groups keep up stir

Both these locations were among the 20 sites designated for Friday prayers by the district administration and Muslims who had to move away from the spots said such protests amounted to harassment

Continuing their protest against namaz in public spaces in Gurugram, right wing groups performed a havan ( puja) at a site designated for holding the Friday prayers in Sector 37 and also disrupted the namaz in Sirhaul Village, Sector 18. Both these locations were among the 20 sites designated for Friday prayers by the district administration and Muslims who had to move away from the spots said such protests amounted to harassment.

Muslims offer namaz at Hero Honda Chowk in Gurugram on Friday. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

More than 500 policemen were deployed at the 20 designated sites to maintain law and order, senior police officers said, adding that namaz was offered peacefully in the city.

A group of protesters also raised religious slogans at the Sector 37 ground after the havan, reportedly performed in memory of those killed in the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, and Muslims had to move to a spot some 50 metres away to offer their prayers. .

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, legal advisor of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, an umbrella body of several rightwing outfits leading the protests again namaz in public spaces, said members of the samiti, along with Khandsa residents, organised the havan.

“We have already informed the district administration and the Muslim community that we will not allow namaz in the open even if it is being offered in a designated site,” Bhardwaj said.

Sachin Yadav, a resident of Khandsa village and one of the protesters, said locals play cricket at the ground and will not let Muslims use it for prayers. “We have informed police that we will not let anyone use the ground for any other activity,” he said.

Some Muslims who gathered to offer namaz in Sector 12, where a few residents offered their offices and vacant plots for Friday prayers, were also not allowed to do so, following which they moved to other designated sites fearing violence.

Haji Shehzad Khan, chairman of Muslim Ekta Manch said Muslims returned from various spots in Sector 12 as Hindu groups did not let them pray. “The community offered prayers at other sites as no police force was deployed at the spots in Sector 12,” he said.

In Sirhaul Village, more than 60 members of Manavta Sangathan, a Hindu outfit, and residents turned away Muslims from three parks and said they will not allow them to use any of the seven parks in the area.

Praveen Yadav (33), a resident leading the protest in Sirhaul, said met members of the Muslim community on Thursday and requested them not to offer namaz in parks. “Despite repeated requests, Muslims are again coming to the parks to offer namaz. We have deployed a team of 20 members at each park and given strict instructions not to allow anyone to offer namaz,” he said.

In Sadar, a few Sikhs from outside the city reached Gurdwara Guru Singh Sabha on Friday morning to ensure namaz was not offered there. The gurdwara management had offered space to Muslims last week, but later retracted the offer.

“We have requested Muslims not to come here as we will not allow them to enter our premises for their religious activities,” said Ravi Ranjan Singh, chairman of Jatka Committee that had opposed the decision of the gurdwara management.

Aman Yadav, assistant commissioner of police (sadar), said police teams were deployed at all designated sites since morning and they kept a close watch on activities. “There was a tiff between two groups in Sector 37, but it was controlled within minutes,” he said.

Altaf Ahmad, a member of Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch, a citizens’ platform, and spokesperson for Gurgaon Muslim Council, said the far-right groups have been disrupting juma namaz for the past three months.

“Today, it was Sector 37 where they intentionally chose the same spot and time for offering their prayers. On November 5, they did the same when they performed Govardhan Puja at the site in Sector 12A. They are harassing us. The administration of Gurugram needs to act against these violators so that communal harmony prevails in the city,” he said.