A day after the Muslim council in Haryana’s Gurugram appealed to the people to not offer Friday namaz in mosques and open areas in a bid to avoid any untoward incident in wake of the Nuh violence, no one turned up at mosques and designated grounds. This despite the district administration deployed security forces at mosques across the city to maintain law and order.
According to Altaf Ahmad, spokesman for the Gurgaon Muslim Council, the imams of Gurugram have urged the city's Muslim population to avoid going to mosques on Friday for namaz. The leader of the Muslim Ekta Manch, Haji Sajjad Khan, announced that Gurugram will ban open Friday prayers. In a video message, Mufti Saleem Qasmi, president of Jamiat Ulama in Gurugram, pleaded with people not to worship in public places or congregate in mosques.
Necessary safety measures in place, claims administration
As per reports, in order to discuss security measures and prevent any violence from breaking out on Friday, members of the Muslim community met with DC Nishant Kumar Yadav on Thursday. Yadav claimed that all mosques have police teams on duty and that all necessary safety precautions have been taken.
Reports further suggest that a memo from Hindu-right organisations to the deputy commissioner of police on Wednesday included a list of demands, including a ban on namaz in public spaces. Prashant Panwar, the deputy commissioner, and Varun Singla, the superintendent of police, met with the ulemas of Nuh on Thursday and urged them to worship at their residences. According to officials, ulemas gave police assurances that there would be no public namaz.
202 people have been arrested
A total of 202 people have been arrested so far and 80 taken into preventive detention in connection with the recent communal clashes in Haryana, state Home Minister Anil Vij said on Friday. Vij also said 102 FIRs have been registered in connection with the clashes so far, half of which are in Nuh alone and the rest in other districts, including Gurugram, Faridabad and Palwal.
"I want to assure that anyone involved won't be spared," he told reporters in Ambala, adding investigations are going on.
Vij further said that those who have been detained are being questioned as per the law and further action is being taken accordingly. Referring to the Friday namaz, the minister said he has spoken to the deputy commissioners of Nuh, Faridabad and Gurugram, and instructions have been given issued for adequate security arrangements.
Apart from this, he said he has discussed with the chief secretary about adequate security arrangements for the rest of Haryana wherever Friday namaz is held.
Vij said though all arrangements of security are in place, some clerics have given a call to offer namaz at home. On a cybercrime police station being targeted in Nuh, Vij said, "We have taken the incident very seriously." Investigations are underway to find out who attacked the police station and what records they wanted to destroy.
Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the clashes that erupted in Muslim-dominated Nuh when a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by mobs on Monday.
In response to a question, Vij said a committee has been formed for monitoring and scanning of social media. He appealed to people to maintain peace and not to share provocative posts on social media.
