Manohar Lal Khattar on Gurgaon dispute: ‘Offering namaz in open will not be tolerated’

The Chief Minister was speaking after chairing a meeting of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) at PWD rest house in Gurgaon.

Khattar said an amicable solution will be found after discussions with the community. “They have said that they have several places where they should be given permission. Some of their properties or those under Waqf board are encroached upon… how they can be made available to them is being discussed. Or they can offer prayers in their homes. Offering namaz in the open and this confrontation, we will not allow this confrontation to continue,” he said.

Gurgaon: Locals and right wing groups have occupied the site outside sector 37 police station, where namaz is offered, and parked their cars and trucks there. They claim they have gathered here to mourn the demise of CDS and other defence personnel, who were killed in a crash. pic.twitter.com/1qqL7swy4y

— Pavneet Singh Chadha 🚜 🌾 (@pub_neat) December 10, 2021

“A decision had been taken earlier after consultation, but that decision too where some spots had been reserved, we have withdrawn it. Now, talks will be conducted with a fresh approach again. Everyone should get the facility. No one’s rights should be infringed, but no one will be forced,” he said.

Hours earlier, while the Chief Minister’s meeting was on, some local residents and members of pro-Hindutva groups occupied the area outside the Sector 37 police station, which had been earmarked for namaz prayers.

They conducted a “condolence meet” to mourn the demise of CDS Bipin Rawat and other defence personnel who were killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.

Residents and members of various pro-Hindu organisations stage a protest against conducting Namaz (Friday prayers) in an open site at Sector 37, in Gurugram, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.
(Express Photo By Amit Mehra )

Amid police deployment, the group parked trucks and vehicles at the ground, chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’. An argument ensued after a small group arrived to pray and the local residents — from Khandsa, Mohammadpur Jharsa, Begumpur Khatola and nearby villages — asked them to leave.

These groups had disrupted prayers at the designated sites earlier, too. They conducted a havan ceremony at sector 37 to mark the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, conducted Govardhan Puja in sector 12 A and left dung cakes behind, and showed up to play cricket and played bhajans through speakers in sector 47.

On Friday, prayers were disrupted by these groups at parks in sector 44 and sector 29, too. They included several people who had been arrested on October 29 for allegedly attempting to disrupt Friday prayers.