Gurugram mosques cancel Friday prayers amid communal tension

Gurugram: In the wake of the highly tense situation in Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram following the communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims that began on Monday, Muslim leaders in Gurugram have urged their community members to offer Friday prayers at home today to avoid further tension.

During a meeting held at Nuh's mini-secretariat, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Prashant Panwar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Varun Singla engaged with local ulema (clerics) to discuss the prevailing communal tension in Haryana's Nuh and Gurugram.

The officials requested the ulema to encourage the Muslim community to offer Friday namaz at their homes for the time being, citing the example of the Covid period when people from the Muslim community offered their prayers at home.

After the meeting, Mufti Saleem Qasmi, president of Jamiat Ulama in Gurugram said, "I appeal to the people to offer namaz at home. Only those people who live in a masjid (mosque) can offer namaz in the masjid," in his remarks to the news agency PTI.

"No one else is allowed to enter it. May Allah protect our brotherhood," Mufti added.

The meeting aimed to foster dialogue and cooperation between the authorities and community leaders, recognizing the importance of maintaining peace and harmony in the region. Both sides expressed their commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the current tensions and to ensuring the safety and security of all residents in Nuh and Gurugram.

The communal clashes that began in Nuh, have spread to Gurugram and other districts of the state, resulting in six fatalities, including two home guards and a revered cleric.

The clashes initially erupted during a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) rally in Nuh, where a mob attacked the procession. The situation took a violent turn, with the mosque being torched post-midnight and mobs wreaking havoc, setting fire to more than a hundred vehicles and vandalizing properties in Nuh and Gurugram.

The situation remains tense, and authorities are urging citizens to remain vigilant and refrain from spreading rumours that could exacerbate the already delicate situation