Open namaz in Gurgaon blocked: Protester say they are making volley ball court

New Delhi, Nov 12: The opposition to namaz at open spaces continues in Gurgaon, Haryana after members affiliated with Hindu groups occupied a site in Sector 12A to stop prayers.

The protesters assembled at the site and claimed that they were making a volleyball court. Nearby there were rows of cow dung spread across the ground last week after a puja was held that included spreading of dung over the namaz prayer spot.

Earlier this month, the Gurgaon administration withdrew permission for Muslims to offer namaz at 8 of the 37 previously designated prayer sites.The permission was cancelled after objections by locals who warned that similar objections were raised at other prayer sites, permission will not be given there too.

"Consent from the administration is necessary for namaz in any public and open place," Gurgaon authorities told ANI said. "If local people have objections at other places also, permission will not be given to offer namaz there too."

The ANI report also said that four of the eight sites are at Bengali Basti (Sector 49), Block V of DLF Phase 3, Surat Nagar Phase 1 and an area near the DLF Square Tower on Jacaranda Marg. The others sites are on the outskirts of the Kherki Majra and Daulatabad villages, near the Ramgarh village in Sector 68, and an area between Rampur village and Nakhrola Road, the report also added.

Bengali Basti (Sector 49), Block V of DLF Phase 3, Surat Nagar Phase 1 and an area near the DLF Square Tower on Jacaranda Marg.

"Locals staged a protest against Friday namaz at a ground in Sector 47 for the fourth consecutive week by performing puja. Efforts are ongoing for a solution, including finding an alternate place for namaz," ACP Aman Yadav had said earlier. "Earlier also two rounds (of talks) were held under the chairmanship of the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Badshahpur. We are making efforts to find a solution and resolve the issue amicably," he also said.

Authorities said that namaz can be offered at Mosques or Eidgah or at a private or designated site.

There are only 29 such sites at present.