Namaz disrupted in Gurgaon for third consecutive week

At 1 pm, 30-35 residents, carrying placards that learn ‘cease namaz in open areas’ and ‘provide namaz in mosque’ and elevating ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans, gathered on the floor reverse the State Vigilance Bureau workplace in Sector 47. For over an hour, they sang bhajans and hymns whereas police positioned a barricade to cease them from marching to the place the place namaz was being provided.

The protesters mentioned Muslims ought to provide namaz of their houses, mosques or on Waqf board properties and never “block roads”.

At 1 pm, a bunch of 30-35 residents, carrying placards that learn ‘cease namaz in open areas’ and ‘provide namaz in mosque’, and elevating ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans, gathered on the floor reverse State Vigilance Bureau workplace in sector 47.https://t.co/nnQQA6hvkZ pic.twitter.com/KgjRHuGd8p

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Tulsi Devi, a resident of Sector 47, mentioned, “Native residents have issues associated to safety and security. Earlier, solely 20 individuals used to supply prayers; now there are 200. We don’t know who these ‘outsiders’ are. Petty crime has elevated and it has created congestion on entry roads.”

Residents mentioned they’ve given a written illustration to the deputy commissioner elevating their issues and have been assured that the matter can be seemed into. Until then, they mentioned, they’ll elevate their objection “peacefully”.

Among the many protesting residents was Bharat Mata Vahini president Dinesh Bharti, who was arrested final week for allegedly disrupting Friday prayers up to now few months and was booked at Sector 50 police station in April for selling enmity between communities. He was launched on bail this Tuesday.

He claimed, “That is a global conspiracy… they’re providing namaz as a part of this conspiracy of… love jihad, land jihad. If we don’t elevate our voice, they’ll construct a mosque right here.”

Administration requested Muslim group to supply namaz on the spot, about 200 metres from the designated web site, in mild of protests

The location in Sector 47 is amongst an inventory of 37 designated websites the place prayers may very well be provided within the open, based mostly on negotiations by the administration with representatives of Muslim and Hindu communities following a number of disruptions in 2018. The protesters nonetheless declare the “association” was not everlasting and permission was granted just for a day.

Kuldeep Yadav, councillor of ward 29, mentioned, “If a web site has been designated for providing prayers, residents of the realm within the neighborhood must be consulted. The sector residents are standing right here. They weren’t consulted. There’s nothing in writing concerning the permission which was given in 2018 for someday.”

Mufti Mohammad Saleem, president, Jamiat Ulama, Gurgaon, mentioned that on Thursday night, administration officers had requested them to shift the prayer web site by just a few metres as some residents had raised objections. “We complied with the request. Our solely motive is to wish right here in peace. There’s a dearth of locations the place Muslims can pray — there are over 5 lakh Muslims within the metropolis and solely 13 mosques. We’re praying right here within the open below compulsion (majboori). A number of employees from close by come right here to wish throughout lunch time and depart after quarter-hour. I enchantment to residents to allow us to pray right here,” he mentioned.

Altaf Ahmad, one of many founders of Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch, which had sought police motion in opposition to the disruptions, mentioned, “A gaggle of individuals are creating an environment of hate and disharmony. Their allegations are false and baseless. I enchantment to the administration and state authorities to allocate land in a number of sectors of Gurgaon, so the Muslim group can construct mosques…”

Former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb additionally expressed anguish on the circumstances by which namaz was being provided on the web site: “I’m pained to see this. Ye kis kisam ka mulq ban gaya hai (what kind of a rustic has this turn into)? The place individuals are not being allowed to wish, which is their Constitutional proper. People who find themselves protesting must be ashamed of their behaviour.”

ACP (Sadar) Aman Yadav mentioned that some residents voiced their issues concerning namaz being provided within the open on the web site. “Residents have been protesting right here for the previous three-four weeks. They are saying this land, which is below the federal government, had been allotted for a market house. The location is amongst an inventory of 37 websites that was negotiated by district administration after consultations with members of each communities in 2018. It was not a written settlement. Residents have mentioned the matter with the SDM and district administration officers to discover a resolution. In mild of the state of affairs, prayers have been provided at a slight distance on the identical floor. Prayers have been peaceable,” he mentioned.

Gurgaon DC Yash Garg couldn’t be reached for a remark regardless of repeated makes an attempt.