Friday Namaz ran at nine places, protesters shooed: Gurgaon police

Gurgaon: Police informed that Friday prayers were held in nine spaces in the city under heavy protection. They dispersed a group of 20 men who intended to disrupt Namaz in Shyam Chowk at Udyog Vihar, telling them that the administration has allotted the space for Muslim's Friday prayers through an agreement with related parties. The Indian Express (TIE) reported.

But, Gurgaon Jamiat Ulema e Hind President Mufti Mohammad Saleem told TIE that police has stopped devotees from prayers at marble market, Sector 44, Sector 52 and DLF Phase 3, saying permission is only granted for six locations. Police also barred them from Namaz at a Dargah in Sector 40, saying that the property belongs to a school.

Saleem said it belonged to the Waqf board, but devotees couldn't produce ownership papers when police asked for it. Although devotees asked police to verify the ownership with revenue records official, they couldn't perform Namaz there. But they will check the ownership and decide accordingly before next week's prayers, Salim said.

According to police, the nine areas of Leisure Valley, Shyam Chowk, Shankar Chowk, near Spicejet office at Udyog Vihar, Sector 42, Sector 69, two spaces in IMT Manesar and Sector 34 hosted Friday Namaz.

Meanwhile, the head of the protesters gathered at Shyam Chowk, Parveen Yadav, said that they had filed complaints at two police stations and demanded the administration to take action against those violating CM's orders. Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti's- a union of 22 different Hindutva right-wing organisations- legal advisor Kulbhushan Bhardwaj said that prayers in public areas are Jihad, and as per CM's statements, there is no designated space for Namaz in public.

On Tuesday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that people of all faiths should hold prayers at designated places, and permissions will be given for religious festivals in the open. But, no community will be allowed to hold events "to display their strength to provoke sentiments of another community."

For many weeks, the city was witnessing Muslims' Friday prayers, at spaces designated by the district administration, being disrupted by right-wing Hindutva groups and locals.