Gurgaon prayer controversy: The place where prayers used to be held has been full of dung since last week
Controversy continues over open Friday prayers in Gurgaon, adjacent to Indian capital
Controversy continued this week over Friday prayers in open spaces in the neighboring city of Gurgaon in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
For the second week in a row, Friday prayers were not held at the designated place in Sector 12 of the city. Hindu groups had worshiped Govardhan there on Friday last week.
Hindu parties also protested this Friday against offering prayers in open and public places. At least one place during Friday prayers chanted slogans of J. Shri Ram and at least five approved places in the district did not offer prayers.
According to an NDTV report, the place in Sector 12 where prayers used to be held has been filled with dung since last week and according to a Hindu youth present there today, his plan is to build a volleyball court.
The report, published this afternoon, states that "people from Hindu groups are here, sitting here, eating, and saying that they will not allow prayers at any cost."
Protests have been going on for months against the offering of prayers in open and vacant public places in Gurugram, which includes residents of some quarters of Gurugram and right wing parties.
On November 2, citing opposition from locals, the Gurgaon administration withdrew permission to offer prayers at eight of the 37 places. These were the places that Hindus and Muslims unanimously nominated in 2018 after similar demonstrations.
The administration said the move was prompted by "objections" and warned that if similar "objections" were raised elsewhere, "permission would not be granted there either."
These places include both public and private, and according to local Muslims, the lack of mosques in proportion to the population compels people to offer Friday prayers in open spaces.
Altaf Ahmed, co-founder of Gurgaon Nagarik Ekta Manch, told the BBC's Niaz Farooqi: And now they have been further reduced.
"Not once, but gradually they will hit other places," he said. It is in this context that the wave of oppression of Muslims across the country should be seen.
According to Mahavir Bhardwaj, leader of the Samikat Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, an organization that has been at the forefront of protests against prayers in Gurugram, Muslims only want to cause trouble there.
He told that he did not just need a place to pray, he needed a place to occupy. This is just occupation jihad, which we will not allow. "
Like other places, Sector 12 was on the list of places designated for Friday prayers between Hindus and Muslims and was not among the places where the authorities withdrew permission to offer prayers on November 3.
However, last Saturday, Hindu groups announced to worship there, in response to which Muslims decided not to offer prayers. During the prayers, right-wing Hindu groups gathered there to worship Govardhan and chanted anti-Muslim slogans.
For example, the slogan 'Sector 12 is peeping, the whole program is left', which mimics the slogan used before the demolition of Babri Masjid, 'Ayodha is just peeping, Kashi Mathra is left'. Jhanki means example, "Sector 12 is an example, the whole grammar remains."
In a widely shared video, he was seen standing with an ad for 'Grogram administration, wake up from sleep'.
Last month, there were protests in several other areas of Gurgaon in which people chanted slogans of 'Jai Shri Ram' and displayed advertisements demanding closure of 'open space prayers'.
The protesters claim that 'Rohingya refugees' are committing crimes in the area under the pretext of offering prayers.
''Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar has said that everyone has the right to offer prayers but "those who offer prayers should not stop the road traffic''.
Explain that Grogram has offices of major companies from all over the world and has a good number of educated and wealthy people who work in Grogram or in Delhi or run a business.