Namaz at an under-construction building of the Jyotirmath Municipal Council in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli triggered tensions, prompting the local administration to intervene.
Local Hindu groups submitted a memorandum to Chamoli district magistrate Gaurav Kumar after a video showing people offering prayers at the site went viral on social media.
Sub-divisional magistrate Chandrashekhar Vashisht said the matter came to his notice after some residents informed the administration about the namaz at the under-construction building. “The namaz was offered on Wednesday and came to light after the video went viral on social media. We called representatives from both sides, counselled them, and attempted to resolve the issue on Thursday and Friday,” he said.
Vashisht said the matter has been resolved. “The Muslim side has agreed to offer namaz at their own properties and not at the site. No law and order situation arose.”
Shivanchal Semwal, a resident, said the site was allocated for sports activities. “A table tennis centre is proposed to be set up there. Some Muslims were offering namaz at the site without permission.”