'Show of Strength Not Appropriate': Haryana CM Khattar Amid Gurugram Namaz Row

"Displaying a show of strength which provokes sentiments of another community is not appropriate," the CM said.

As tensions in Gurgaon over the disruption of namaz in open spaces continue, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday, 21 December, said that no person of any religious community can offer prayers in public.

“No member of any community should hold such programmes in open spaces. If they have to hold them, they should do so in temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches. It is the responsibility of all to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to see that there is no confrontation in society,” the chief minister said, making an intervention."

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, as quoted by news agency PTI

“But by displaying a show of strength which provokes sentiments of another community is not appropriate,” he added.

The chief minister's statement, which was made in the Haryana Assembly, came in response to Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed's raising of the issue.

As tensions in Gurgaon over the disruption of namaz in open spaces continue, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday, 21 December, said that no person of any religious community can offer prayers in public.

“No member of any community should hold such programmes in open spaces. If they have to hold them, they should do so in temples, mosques, gurdwaras and churches. It is the responsibility of all to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to see that there is no confrontation in society,” the chief minister said, making an intervention," Khattar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

“But by displaying a show of strength which provokes sentiments of another community is not appropriate,” he added.

The chief minister's statement, which was made in the Haryana Assembly, came in response to Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed's raising of the issue.

"Some elements are repeatedly disrupting Friday prayers. The Constitution gives the right to practice one’s religion. No one has the right to disrupt prayers," Ahmed was quoted as saying by PTI.

Khattar, who had on 10 December said that the offering of the Friday namaz in open spaces "will not be tolerated," said on Tuesday:

“But when some people hold prayers outside such spots, a situation of confrontation arises. It is a local issue, it is not an issue which should be flared up as it can spoil communal harmony,” he said.

For the past few weeks, several sectors of Gurugram have witnessed violent objections by right-wing Hindutva groups and members of resident welfare associations (RWAs) against the reading of Friday prayers, Jumme ki namaz, in open spaces.

'Pained to Hear That the Weekly Prayers Have Been Called a Show of Strength': Gurgaon Muslim Council

Reacting to Khattar's comments, the Gurgaon Muslim Council's spokesperson Altaf Ahmad issued a statement on Tuesday, saying: "Muslims of Gurgaon are extremely pained to hear that our CM in Haryana Assembly has said that Muslims offering their obligatory weekly prayers is a show of strength. Instead of stopping such horrifying attacks on Muslims by far-right wing groups, CM has put the blame squarely on us," the statement said.

"Administration of Gurgaon should have briefed the CM that Muslims were offering Juma Namaz at open sites which were approved by themselves in 2018. Muslims are forced to pray in the open because they have neither been allotted land in Gurgaon by State Government (except one in Sector 57 which is under litigation for last 15 years); nor encroachment removed from multiple Waqf Properties in Gurgaon," the statement added.

(With inputs from PTI)