Outfits opposing namaz in open meet Gurgaon DC, Waqf Board talks today

Board says remove encroachments from its land first, provide security during Friday prayers

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A board erected at the site where namaz was disrupted on April 20. (Express Photo by Manoj Kumar)

After the Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon asked the Haryana Waqf Board to identify its properties where namaz can be read — instead of Friday prayers being held at vacant plots and parks across the city — the board on Sunday requested officials to first remove illegal encroachments from 19 of its properties and provide police protection so that mosques that stand on these can be reconstructed, restored and used for namaz.

“Today, Gurgaon is progressing at a fast pace, people are coming from outside to earn their bread and butter. The population here is increasing, which includes Muslims. Gurgaon already has very few masjids, and people have illegally occupied masjids in nearby villages. Because of this, Muslims have to read Friday namaz in parks and open grounds since there is no space provided for this,” states the letter.

Giving a list of 19 mosques, of which 14 are in Gurgaon city, one in Sohna, and four in Farrukh Nagar, the letter adds, “If the administration relieves these masjids of illegal encroachment and provides police protection, the Waqf Board is prepared to undertake repair work and renovation and deploy Imams there at its own time and cost.”

When contacted, Jamaluddin, estate officer of the Haryana Waqf Board, Gurgaon, said, “There are around 2-3 lakh Muslims in Gurgaon, and less than 30 places of worship to accommodate them. We have given a list of 19 mosques. If these are cleared, a lot of the people can be accommodated, and an amicable solution reached.”

Chander Shekhar Khare, who is fulfilling the duties of the deputy commissioner since Vinay Pratap Singh is on leave, said he intends to meet the Board on Tuesday. “We are getting the status of all sites through tehsildars and naib tehsildars. We will have a review meeting tomorrow. The Waqf Board officers will also meet me in the morning,” said Khare.

The deputy commissioner Monday also met representatives of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, an umbrella body of several Hindu outfits who have been demanding a ban on reading of namaz in the open. “I heard the concerns of representatives of the body and their problems, and will meet members of the Muslim community tomorrow to hear their concerns. We hope to arrive at a peaceful solution,” he said.

Rajiv Mittal, national general secretary of the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Kranti Dal, one of the outfits, said, “We have agreed to maintain peace and wait for an amicable solution. The deputy commissioner told us there is no immediate, quick way to resolve this matter, and we are willing to cooperate as long as a solution in line with our demands is reached.”

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The issue of namaz being read at vacant plots and parks in Gurgaon flared up after six men were arrested for disrupting Friday prayers at an open ground on April 20, chanting slogans of ‘Radhe Radhe’ and ‘Jai Sri Ram’ as they dispersed people.

Several outfits had protested against their arrest, and had taken out a demonstration demanding that the case against them be revoked, and a ban be announced on conducting Friday prayers in the open.

Representatives and workers of these groups had also taken to the streets on Friday, preventing people from offering prayers in the open. Last week, the deputy commissioner had directed the MCG, HUDA, and HSIIDC, to “secure” public land where prayers were being offered, and had requested the Waqf Board to identify properties where namaz can be offered instead.

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