Imams’ group asks DC to stop namaz in undesignated places

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, the legal advisor of Sanyukt Hindu Sangarsh Samiti, a Hindu group, said they had stopped disrupting namaz in the open as it was decided that Muslims would offer namaz only in spaces designated by district administration

An association of imams in Gurugram on Friday urged the district administration to intervene and stop some groups from offering namaz at undesignated public spaces, and said such acts could lead to communal disharmony and tension.

An association of imams meets district administration officials and urges them to stop groups from practiing namaz at non-designated public spaces, in Gurugram on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Mufti Abdul Haseeb Qasmi, president of Gurugram Imam Sangathan, said they have submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner requesting him to check sites that are not designated but are being used by some people to offer namaz.

The protest against Friday namaz in open public spaces has been taking place in Gurugram since 2018. The same year, the administration designated 37 sites for Muslims to offer Friday prayers. However, in November last year, the number of sites was cut down to 20, after members of the right-wing outfits continued to protest and disrupt prayers and, later, they were reduced to just six. The Muslims, however, have maintained that they were forced to use public spaces since there were not enough mosques in the city

“After the issue was resolved, we have been holding prayers only at designated sites but some people have again started using the other sites, which has started causing tensions in several parts of the city,” Qasmi said.

The organisation submitted a written petition, addressed to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, with the Gurugram deputy commissioner on Friday.

After Hindu right wing groups protested over the issue last year, the chief minister had said people should offer prayers only at designated spaces or at mosques. Muslims had approached the court demanding the administration to mark spaces for prayers as well as provide land for building new mosques.

Currently, there are six designated spots for Friday prayers and an estimated 11 mosques in Gurugram, a district which has around 500,000 Muslims, of whom around 150,000 offer namaz in mosques on Fridays, said officials.

On Friday, members of right-wing groups reached the designated namaz sites in Sector 37, Atlas Chowk, Sector 44, Sirhaul Park, Sector 22 and Genpact Park to observe the situation.

Haris Khan, another member of the association, said if the administration does not intervene, the situation could again get tense. “People in residential and industrial areas have started objecting to namaz in the open as parks are used by people for having lunch during their break and people from other areas come and occupy the park to offer namaz on Fridays,” he said.

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, the legal advisor of Sanyukt Hindu Sangarsh Samiti, a Hindu group, said they had stopped disrupting namaz in the open as it was decided that Muslims would offer namaz only in spaces designated by district administration. “If the situation changes, we will have to start protesting again. From next Friday, we will not let anyone offer namaz at spots other than the designated ones,” he said.

Gurugram deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav said, “We will look into the issue and ensure that there are no disruptions and namaz is offered only at designated sites,” he said.

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