The Haryana Waqf Board has urged the Gurgaon district administration in a letter to remove encroachments from its lands near mosques so that people can offer prayers.

The board’s request comes days after Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that Namaz should be only offered in mosques, Eidgahs, and private areas.

The Waqf Board has earmarked 22 lands in Gurgaon belonging to mosques which have allegedly been encroached.

Jalaluddin, a Haryana Waqf Board officer, told PTI, “Waqf Board has written a letter to Gurgaon district administration with the lists of encroached land near mosques and asked the officers concerned to remove encroachment so that the Muslim people can use it for offering namaz (prayer).”

Jalaluddin said the Waqf board in its letter also mentioned that people in some Gurgaon villages have encroached mosques land. This is the main reason why numbers of mosques are less in Gurgaon and people have to offer prayers outside in public places.

However, Waqf board lands are available in Wazirabad, Garhi Harsaru, Mewaka, Fazilpur Jharsa, Narungpur, Dhankot, Badshahpur, Farukhnagar and other 22 places, Jalaluddin said.

“We have asked administration to ensure all necessary arrangement so that people can use these 22 mosques lands for prayers with full protection,” he said.

“Gurgaon District Magistrate Vinay Kumar Singh taking cognisance on the Waqf Board’s letter has asked Tehsildars and officers concerned to submit reports in this connection,” a senior officer said.

Khattar’s clarification

On Monday, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar had clarified that he did not talk about stopping anyone from offering namaz in open areas

“I haven’t spoken about stopping anyone. Maintaining law and order is the duty of the police and the administration,” Khattar said in Chandigarh.

In his reaction to reports that of namaz being disrupted allegedly by right-wing groups in Gurugram on 4 May, the Haryana CM had reportedly said, “Namaz should be read in mosques or idgahs rather than in public spaces.”

The CM said his government is keeping a close watch on the situation but if there is shortage of places for offering namaz, it should be done in personal spaces such as inside homes.

However, contrary to CM’s clarification, Haryana minister Anil Vij had said that offering prayers at public place with the intention of grabbing the land is wrong and will not be allowed.

“Occasionally if someone needs to read the namaz, he has the religious freedom to do so but one can’t read namaz anywhere in the open, with the intention of grabbing land. The government can’t allow that,” Vij said.

Disruptions

The alleged disruptions of namaz have become a major controversy for the state government. As per a Hindustan Times news report, the outfits claimed that they will continue to ‘disrupt’ namaz congregations in the open if the authorities do not take action against the ‘unauthorised’ prayer meets.

As per reports, the fringe groups have been allegedly visiting many locations across Gurugram for the last two weeks where namaz is offered every Friday and preventing them from doing so. There have been were reports of disruptions at Wazirabad, Atul Kataria Chowk, Cyber Park, Bakhtawar Chowk and at South City.

Under the aegis of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, members of theVishwa Hindu Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Kranti Dal, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch, Bharat Bachao Abhiyan and Gurugram Sanskritik Gaurav Samiti arrived at several spots to disrupt the Friday prayers.

They allege a land grab attempt in a bid to merge it with the mosques.

(With agency inputs)