NEW DELHI: After a row over the Noida police asking several multi-national companies to bar their employees from offering namaz at a park in Sector 58, a senior police officer on Tuesday clarified that the ban wasn’t for “any particular religion” but for everybody in order to maintain law and order.
According to the notice issued by the Noida Sector 58 police station, companies present at the industrial area will be held liable if their employees gather at the park to offer prayers. “We want to inform you that there is no permission from the administration to conduct any kind religious activity including Namaz, which is offered on Friday in the Authority park in Sector 58. It has often been seen that the Muslim workers of your company assemble in the park to offer Namaz and I, the SHO, have told them to not hold prayers,” Senior House Officer, Sector 58, Pankaj Rai, had said in his notice. “If your employees come to the park, it will be assumed that you have not informed employees and your company will be held liable.”
But, on Monday, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma clarified that the permission to offer prayers in the park was sought from a Noida court but the order was pending. “A few people had sought permission from the City Magistrate Court to conduct religious prayers in the authority park. There hasn’t been a decision on this as of now. Despite that, the people in large number gathered there.
“They were apprised about it and the same information was given to the various companies through a notice — not for a particular religion but for everybody. It is a request to all to please cooperate with us in order to ensure peace and security,” he urged.
The appeal came as the locals, as well as the social media, was abuzz with voices criticizing the move. Many netizens recalled the May incident in which Right-wing activists disrupted the Friday namaz prayers at several places in Gurugram over alleged land encroachment.
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