Can we encroach public land by mutual understanding ? : Gurugram Police asked after public namaz sparks outrage

Editorial Comment

• The administration’s permission is required before doing anything in a public place. If permission has been sought to offer Namaz every Friday, then it won’t be wrong if Hindus seek permission to worship various Deities and recite stotras every day.
• Generally, it has been seen all over the country that some Muslims first start praying in public places and gradually take control of the place and build illegal mosques or dargahs later. Hindus feel that such permission is not expected in a BJP-ruled State.
• Realise that the Government system restricts Hindus from celebrating festivals such as Shri Ganesh Chaturthi, Kanwar Yatra, Janmashtami, Dushehra, Diwali, etc., but permits Muslims to offer Namaz in public places.

New Delhi – In response to the controversy that erupted when residents in Gurugram raised their objection to namaz being offered in public places causing inconvenience to locals, Gurugram Police posted a tweet justifying the act and asserting that ‘namaz’ spots at public places have been decided by ‘mutual consent’ of Hindus and Muslims in the region. “Maintaining communal harmony and peace is our utmost responsibility and we will ensure that”, the official Twitter account of Gurugram Police said. (In a Hindu-majority country, it is always the Hindus who have to compromise with the tense atmosphere created by of the minorities, and make it peaceful. – Editor)

‘Can we encroach public land by mutual understanding?’ Gurugram Police’s justification for public namaz sparks outragehttps://t.co/VGQY1hiiR0

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) September 29, 2021

The tweet was posted after a video of Gurugram residents protesting against the public offering of namaz created quite a stir on the internet. The video had instantly gone viral, with social media users questioning the state of law and order in the city for allowing such practices to continue unabated.

Gurugram Police’s tweet justifying the namaz in a public place further annoyed the social media users, who questioned the Police for ignoring the objections of the people seen in the video and normalising the offering of namaz that blocks public spaces and creates inconvenience for locals.

One Twitter user said offering namaz on public properties is banned even in Islamic countries and considered ‘Haram’. The user added that namaz is a matter of devotion and needs a sanctified place such as a mosque.