Gurugram Namaz Row: Complaint Against Hindu Leaders Over Provocative Speeches

The complaint comes amid weeks of protests against namaz being offered in open spaces by Muslims in Gurugram.

Gurugram Namaz row.

(Photo: Eshwar/The Quint)

A Muslim group on Tuesday, 30 November, filed a complaint against three leaders of Hindu right-wing groups for allegedly making inflammatory speeches over Friday namaz in open spaces in Gurugram, an issue that has been making headlines for over a month.

In the complaint submitted to Deepak Saharan, DCP West Gurugram, the Jamait Ulama-i-Hind alleged that several Hindu right-wing leaders have deliberately been making provocative statements over the matter in an attempt to spread disharmony. The police is yet to turn the complaint into a First Information Report (FIR).

The complaint comes amid protests and disruptions of Friday prayers by the Muslim community by citizens and Hindu right-wing groups at multiple locations, including Sector 12, Sector 47, and Sector 37, among others.

What the Complaint Says

The complaint has accused three individuals, Dinesh Bharti, Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, and Mahaveer Bhardwaj, of "promoting enmity against Islam."

While Mahaveer Bhardwaj is the Haryana state chief of the Sanyukta Hindu Sangharsh Samiti (SHSS), an umbrella body of several Hindu groups, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, Dinesh Bharti is a member of the Bharat Mata Vahini.

Kulbhushan Bhardwaj is an advocate who has spearheaded some of these protests. He was detained by police on 29 October for protesting at the prayer site in Sector 12.

"On various occasions, we have found that certain group of persons, in particular Dinesh Bharti, Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, and Mahaveer Bhardwaj, have been repeatedly making provocative statements in public with the intention of promoting enmity against Islam which has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community. Needless to say, they are repeatedly doing these acts that are prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony," the complaint said.

"Therefore, we request you to take appropriate action in accordance with the law immediately against the aforesaid three persons and all persons involved, in the conspiracy, who have deeply hurt the Muslim community and have designedly made such statements in an attempt to maliciously spread disharmony in the society," it added.

Speaking to The Quint, Mufti Mohd Salim who filed the complaint, said: "We want the police to file an FIR on the basis of the complaint we have submitted. Along with it, we have also given the police a pendrive which has proof of the inflammatory statements made by them."

Salim said that in the last few months, the number of places where the Friday namaz takes place, has also gone down. He said, "Namaz is not being performed at 17 of the 37 designated sites now. We are not able to get a headway despite talks with the administration. We have filed the complaint so that there are no attempts to create a dispute between the communities. We are considering approaching the court too."

Salim said that there aren't enough prayer halls or mosques for Muslims to perform Friday namaz, which is something the administration needs to take into consideration.

What the Accused Say

The Quint spoke to Mahaveer, who denied making any inflammatory statements. He claimed that the Gurugram administration and the Haryana government have agreed that namaz should not be offered in open spaces.

"We have made our points in a very restrained manner and made sure nobody is troubled. The complainants, however, have a democratic right to file a complaint. It is upon the authorities to probe if there is any basis to the complaint," he said.

He said that the one-month period that the authorities and the representatives of the Muslim community had asked for to find alternate locations for Friday prayers, ends on 4 December.

"This Friday, however, we will not protest at any of the namaz sites. On 10 December, the authorities and the representatives of the Muslim community must ensure that the promises made are fulfilled. The SHSS will resume peaceful and democratic protests if namaz is offered in open spaces on 10 December," he said.

Kulbhushan, one of the three mentioned in the complaint, said that the Muslim community was coming up with ways to distract the protesters as the "4 December deadline nears."

"We will not get scared with such complaints. The deadline is near. Their sentiments weren't hurt for so long, now as the deadline approaches, they are coming up with such complaints," he told The Quint.

"We will think of the future course of action after 4 December," he said, adding that he hopes "the authorities and the Muslim community will keep their promise."