Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Rozedars will not be able to break their fast at the mass Roza Iftar at Iqbal Maidan this Ramzan as the police have refused permission for organising the event.
The ‘Saath Saath Roza Iftar Committee’ has been organising a 10-minute ‘Saath-Saath Roza Iftar’ at Iqbal Maidan since 2017. Nearly 2,000 people, belonging to different religions, attended the event every day during the holy month of Ramzan. The event was not organised in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid pandemic.
The committee members told the Free Press that they had approached the district collector to seek the permission, who directed them to the area’s deputy commissioner of police. They formally applied to the DCP of Zone 3 for the permission, which was refused.
When they met additional DCP of the zone, Ram Sanehi Mishra, they were told that the permission cannot be granted. They said that Mishra told them “It was because Arif Masood had held a protest demonstration against a French cartoonist disrespecting Prophet Mohammed at Iqbal Maidan”.
The committee members said that the police have proposed Moti Masjid as a possible alternative venue. The committee, however, doesn’t want to hold the programme at Moti Masjid due to parking issues and also because it would be difficult for the Rozedars to climb the stairs to reach the open space on the mosque premises.
The committee members said that they had deposited Rs 45,000 as rent for 30 days for Iqbal Maidan in 2020. However, the event could not be held due to Covid pandemic. The additional commissioner of BMC has allowed the adjustment of the deposited amount against the rent for this year.
The organisers said that they are getting many calls from Rozedars who want to take part in the Iftar.
All events are banned at Iqbal Maidan
When contacted by Free Press, Additional DCP, Zone-3, Ram Sanehi Mishra denied that he had made any comment about the protest by Arif Masood at Iqbal Maidan. “For the past two years, there has been a complete ban on holding any social, cultural or political event at Iqbal Maidan. Because of that the permission cannot be granted. We have suggested to them to organise the event at some other place,” he said.
