Namaz row: Roads not for religious activities, says Haryana minister Anil Vij

Rightwing groups in Gurugram have been campaigning against namaz in open areas and demanding that Muslims should pray only in mosques and eidgahs.

Reacting to the ongoing controversy over namaz in open areas in Gurugram, Haryana’s home minister Anil Vij on Sunday said that religious activities should be organised within the premises of religious places. People of any faith should not organise religious activities on roads and public places without due permission from the local authorities, he said.

Muslim devotees offer Friday namaz at the Leisure Valley Ground in Gurugram on Friday, November 5, 2021. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

“Everyone should organise their religious activities at their respective religious places. People should refrain from organising religious events on roads and public places without permission from the local administration, it should be applicable to all,” said Vij.

Rightwing groups in Gurugram have been campaigning against namaz in open areas and demanding that Muslims should pray only in mosques and eidgahs. There are only 19 mosques and eidgahs in the district, and most of them have been encroached upon.

The issue assumed significance since 2018 when rightwing groups organised a series of protests against namaz in public places. After these protests, the district administration designated 37 sites for namaz but the issue is still being contested by Hindu groups.

Last month, a lesser-known rightwing group Bharat Vahini started protesting against namaz taking place on Fridays in Sector 47. Residents of the area also joined the protest, which soon spread to other parts of the city. On November 5, rightwing groups organised Govardhan Puja at the namaz site in Sector 12A.

Over the past two weeks, rightwing outfits tried to disrupt namaz at the open site in Sector 12 and on October 29, 35 protesters were detained for attempting to disrupt Friday prayers. Representatives of the Muslim community had agreed to relocate from the site, calling for an alternative space and the clearing of encroachments from Waqf Board properties.

A few days ago, police and administration withdrew permission for the offering of namaz at eight out of 37 designated sites. Police had earlier issued a statement saying that permission for namaz at the remaining designated sites could be withdrawn as well if local residents raise objections.

The Muslim community has formed a panel of 21 people to have a dialogue with authorities and the political leadership of the state. According to the community, they are forced to offer namaz in the open due to the insufficient number of mosques in Gurugram. “There aren’t enough mosques in Gurugram and it is convenient to offer namaz close to workplaces. It hardly takes a few minutes,” said Mohd Adeeb, chairman of the committee formed by the Muslim community. He said that till now people had no problem with the offering of namaz in open areas, and the opposition was a recent development in light of the change of political leadership in the country. He added the ordinary public still has no issue, it is a problem created by certain elements of the society.

The Muslim community said they have also approached opposition leaders for their support to resolve the issue.