Ggm Namaz row: Religious events should be held inside religious places, says Min

Gurugram/Chandigrah: Even as the Muslim Ekta Manch in Gurugram is looking to form a panel of delegates to hold dialogues with the government amid the public Namaz row there, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vj on Sunday declared that all religious events should take place only inside religious places - indicating that chances are slim of local Muslims being allowed to freely pray on sites specifically designated for the purpose.

Significantly, this is in stark contrast to what Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said earlier with respect to the Namaz row. The CM had said that prayer sites, once designated, should not be disrupted by anyone. Home Minister Vij added that religious events should be avoided on roads unless the administration allows them.

So far, under pressure from Hindu right-wing groups led by the Sanyukta Sangharsh Hindu Samiti (SSHS), the Gururgam administration has withdrawn permission for Friday prayers on eight previously designated spots and has decided to form a new committee to decide on prayer sites afresh.

In addition, last week, the SSHS organised a public Govardhan Puja, at the same spot in Sector-12A which was earlier set aside for local Muslims to offer Namaz. Several Hindu outfits such as VHP, Bajrang Dal and Karni Sena attended the event and BJP leader Kapil Mishra invoked Shaheen Bagh there to sway the audience against public Namaz.

Now, Muslim representatives have decided to form a panel of their own to hold dialogues with the government on the issue. The panel will have 21 members, including religious leaders and former Rajya Sabha member Mohammed Adeeb.

The panel is planning to meet CM Khattar with their position on the issue along with officials of the Gurugram administration. While the Hindu outfits have resorted to issuing ultimatums time and time again, demanding that public Namaz be stopped in Gurgram, the Muslim Ekta Manch has said that as many as 19 Waqf properties and mosques had been encroached upon - asking that these spaces be cleared so that they need not offer Namaz in public.

The Muslim representatives are also planning to ask for land from the Haryana Government to be given to them so that they can build a mosque there.

"For many years we have lived in peace and harmony with our Hindu brothers and we want it to remain that way. We don't have any issues of taking a step back if it ensures that there is a cordial atmosphere… I am very sure that we will be able to find a solution to this challenge through constructive dialogue," said Shahzad Khan of Muslim Ekta Manch.