Gurugram Namaz Controversy: For the past few weeks people have been staging protests against offering namaz on public land in Gurugram. At least, 30 protestors were detained by the police who aimed to disrupt the namaz.
The protestors have been sloganeering and holding up placards that read: "Offer Namaz in Mosques", "Gurgaon administration, wake up from your sleep" and "Stop it, Stop it".
Gurugram Namaz Controversy: The story so far
Gurugram Namaz Issue: Withdrawal of Permission from eight designated namaz sites
Ahead of the Diwali festival, the Gurugram administration withdrew permission given to the Muslim community to offer namaz at eight (Nakhrola Road, Ramgarh, Kherki Majra, and Daultabad villages, Jakaranda Marg, Surat Nagar Phase -1, DLF Phase -3, and Bengali Basti) out of 37 designated sites.
Namaz Controversy: Govardhan Puja at designated namaz site in Gurugram's Sector 12
The locals performed Govardhan Puja at one of these designated namaz sites in Gurugram's Sector 12 but no complaints have been registered yet.
The event was attended by several members of the right-wing organizations such as BJP's Kapil Mishra and Suraj Pal Amu.
Gurugram Namaz on Road: Revokation of permission
Amid the escalating controversy, the Gurugram administration has stated that it may further revoke the permission to the other designated namaz sites if the locals raise their objections to it.
The administration, however, assured that more places will be identified for the Muslim community to offer namaz in the open post the conclusion of the round of talks between the leaders of both the communities-- Hindu and Muslim.
Gurugram Namaz Protest: Constitution of a Committee
The district administration has also constituted a committee that comprises of a subdivisional magistrate, an assistant commissioner of police and members of religious organisations and civil society groups to hold a discussion on the issue and identify sites for the people to offer namaz in the future.
The committee constituted by Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg will ensure that the namaz is not offered on roads, crossings or on other public lands. Moreover, the newly designated sites will have consent from locals.
Gurugram Namaz Dispute: What do the two sides have to say?
Hindu Community
BJP's Kapil Mishra who attended Goverdhan Puja said, " The Waqf boards have enough plots to make the arrangements for prayers. Roads should not be blocked in the name of religion."
Advocate Kulbhushan Bhardwaj said, "Be it namaz or pooja, prayers should be offered in a temple or a mosque and if that's not available, people should pray in their houses. This is not an opposition to a particular community, it's about upholding laws."
He went on to say that the land on which prayers were offered in Sector 12 is a private property owned by Satish Bhardwaj. He also claimed that there is a growing fear among people that Rohingya Muslims and refugees from Bangladesh may infiltrate these congregations and create a law and order situation in the city.
Muslim Community
There is strong resentment among the Muslim community due to the cancellation of permission for Namaz at the eight designated sites.
The Muslims claim that the mosques are inadequate and incapable of accommodating all the people (there has been a significant rise in the number of people offering namaz). Also, the location of several mosques around the city is not convenient for everyone.
Following the Govardhan Puja at the designated site, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, " The protest against Friday prayers in Gurugram is a perfect example of how radical these "protesters" have become. This is an 'act of hatred' directed towards Muslims. How is offering Namaz for 15-20 minutes once a week going to hurt anyone in any way?"
Gurugram Namaz Row: Background of the issueIn 2018, Samyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti staged protests against the namaz post which 37 places were designated by the administration for Friday prayers. Prior to this, there were around 106 sites in Gurugram where people were allowed to offer namaz. The same organization has now submitted a memorandum to the government to stop namaz congregations in public places. For the last three months, the same outfit has been staging protests against the blockage of roads, parks and public places during Namaz. |
The Gurugam administration has started identifying new sites for Muslims to offer namaz. At present, there are 22 big mosques in Gurugram.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Aman Yadav said, "Locals staged a protest against offering Friday Namaz at a ground in Sector-47, Gurugram for the fourth consecutive week by performing puja. Efforts are ongoing for a solution, including finding an alternate place for Namaz."
"Earlier also two rounds have been done under the chairmanship of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Badshahpur. We are making efforts to find a solution and resolve the issue amicably... The residents have shown us the list which was issued three years ago. We have to verify the list from our end also. If the ground had been given to the Muslim community for a single day, then the administration will take necessary action," the ACP further added.
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