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Mainpuri Eid namaz row: video shows SHO stopping prayers offered ‘300 m away from Eidgah’
The police say the namaz was eventually offered inside the Eidgah at Kurawali in UP’s Mainpuri district.
Neeraj Dwivedi, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Kurawali, denied that the police officer had threatened anyone.
A controversy erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri district after a video of a police officer stopping namaz on the occasion of Eid in Kurawali went viral on social media. While the officer was heard saying the namaz would not be allowed, officials later said the objection was to the prayer being offered outside the Eidgah. They said it was eventually offered at the predetermined location after senior officials intervened.
In the video, Lalit Bhati, Station House Officer, Kurawali, tells the crowd “Nahi hone dunga” (I won’t allow this), as the Eidgah’s muttawali (caretaker), Shakir Hussain, tells him “Hamesha hoti hai (namaz is always performed here)” and asks him to show the order whereby they are being stopped from offering namaz there. “Yeh namaz awaidhanik roop se par rahe hain, sashan ka adesh hai (They are performing the namaz unlawfully; there’s an order from the Government),” the SHO is heard telling the crowd, which had gathered outside the Eidgah to offer namaz.
“Last year, somehow, the namaz was offered at the chabutara of Gyan Singh, son of Lallu Singh. It was done suddenly, and we had input that it would be done again in the open. The place is about 300 m away from the Eidgah. Thus, we were alert and requested that the namaz be offered only at one place, inside the Eidgah. We were just trying to convince them through words,” Bhati said.
Asked about the language heard in the video, the SHO said, “We did not use any force. There was some misunderstanding. We were trying to convince them that offering namaz in the open like this is illegal. However, the issue was resolved within five to seven minutes, and the namaz was offered inside the Eidgah.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Neeraj Dwivedi, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Kurawali, denied that the police officer had threatened anyone. He said some youngsters were trying to offer namaz in the open, outside the Eidgah, and were asked to offer it inside.
“Some misunderstanding is being created. There was no issue at all. The namaz was performed peacefully later. They were informed a day in advance that namaz should be offered inside the Eidgah, which has enough space,” he said.
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