CHANDIGARH: Less than a week after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that offering namaz in public places cannot be tolerated, a group of right-wing activists and locals once again disrupted a namaz at a designated open site in Gurugram today.
They also asked the Muslims who had gathered there for offering prayers to shout Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad.
Sources said this time, the supporters of a right-wing Hindu organisation disrupted namaz at a small park in Udyog Vihar.
The argument started after the Muslims who had come to pray, refused to listen to the diktat that they must shout the slogans Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad to prove their commitment to India.
In several videos of the incident that went viral on social media, the right-wing activists could be seen heckling the Muslims and telling them, “Do you live in Pakistan? If not, then why cannot you say Bharat Mata ki Jai?”Acting swiftly, the police rushed to the spot to handle the situation.
The Sanyukta Hindu Sangharsh Samiti (SHSS) claimed the Muslims had come to the wrong spot for namaz and were “peacefully directed to the right place”.
Mahavir Bhardwaj, Haryana state chief of SHSS, said in a video message, “The SHSS has been working for the past four years in order to stop namaz being offered at public places. It has now transformed into a people’s movement. The Imam Sangathan and the Muslim Rashtriya Manch have now agreed and declared before the media that namaz will not be offered in open spaces in Gurugram.”
Former MP Mohammed Adeeb has moved the Supreme Court on this issue. In his plea, Adeeb stated that there has been a steady increase in incidents involving Friday prayers by Muslims in Gurugram.
Meanwhile, two Congress MLAs on Friday in the Haryana Assembly objected to Khattar's recent remarks over "namaz", terming it unfortunate and demanding that he take back his statement.
The Mewat MLAs raised the matter during the Zero Hour in the state Assembly, whose winter session began here on Friday.
Mamman Khan, MLA from Firozpur Jhirkha, said when the country gained independence, the Constitution gave freedom to practice religion of one's choice.
He said the CM recently gave a statement that Muslims "cannot offer namaz in open spaces".
"Why this grave injustice with us," he asked.
"I request him that he must take back his statement," Khan said.
Punhana MLA Mohd Ilyas dubbed Khattar's statement as "unfortunate".
"Be it Gurugram or any other place, we should have freedom to offer namaz," he said.
Three years ago, the administration had designated 37 sites in Gurugram city for Muslims to offer Friday namaz.
Wrong place, wrong time
Argument started after the Muslims who had come to pray, refused to listen to the diktat that they must shout the slogans Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad to prove their commitment to India.
(With PTI Inputs)