Security beefs up for Friday prayers in Gurugram

Muslim devotees offer prayers. Photo: Representational (AFP)

Gurugram (Haryana) [India] May 11(ANI): In view of the ongoing Gurugram namaz row, the city's authorities have appointed 76 duty magistrates to supervise the Friday prayers by the Muslims. According to the administration, prayers will be held in seventy-six open places in the city, for which security arrangements have been chalked out. Alerts have been announced throughout the city and the police of the districts of Assam have also been asked to be observant. In the wake of Gurugram locals objecting to Muslims conducting their prayer rites in the open, the Gurugram Police Commissioner and District Collector, on May 8, met with the members of the community to discuss the issue. In an earlier meeting conducted between top executives of the Police, the District Administration and the members of the Hindu and Muslim community, a decision to form a 15-member committee, comprising of both Hindu and Muslim members was arrived upon, with the committee set to make decisions on key issues of religious interests, such as the one in question now. The Haryana Waqf board had on May 7, alleged encroachments on 19 mosques in Gurugram that were lying unused or were illegally occupied, which was forcing Muslims to pray in the open. The Board demanded intervention from state authorities and the vacating of all illegally occupied places so that it could be used for offering prayers on Friday. The outfit also urged to provide police protection to those offering prayers at these places. On April 20, six people were arrested for disturbing namaz in Gurugram as Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti has called for a ban on namaz in open spaces.