Gurugram Gurdwara Offers Space For Namaz

FILE PHOTO: Muslims offer namaz at an open site amid police presence, following protests by residents and members of various pro-Hindu organisations, at Sector 12, Gurugram (PTI)

The Gurdwara association of Sadar Bazar in Gurugram has decided to offer its premises for Friday prayers following objections over the offering of namaz in public and open places.

“It’s ‘Guru Ghar’, open for all communities with no discrimination. There shouldn’t be any politics here. Basement is now open for Muslim brothers who want to offer ‘Jumme ki namaz’,” said Sherdil Singh Sidhu, President, Gurudwara Guru Singh Sabha, Sadar Bazar.

“If there’s an open space, Muslims should be allowed to offer namaz. We shouldn’t fight over such petty issues. People who were offering namaz in open sought administration’s permission and those who had problems should have approached the administration before attacking them,” he added.

Earlier, the Gurugram administration had withdrawn permission to offer namaz at eight out of 37 designated sites.

As per an official statement from the district administration, the permission was cancelled after an objection from local people and RWAs.

On several occasions earlier, residents of Gurugram have complained and staged a protest against Friday namaz at a public ground.

Meanwhile, in Sector 12 area in Gurugram, right-wing outfits have been trying to disrupt the Friday prayers for the past few weeks. On October 29, many members of the outfits were arrested.

In 2018, the district administration designated 37 sites in the city for Muslims to offer Friday prayers, following which there were protests by Hindu groups.

Earlier, the group had disrupted one of the sites in Sector 47.