New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) on Wednesday sealed Gurgaon’s Sheetla Mata Colony, with the MCG commissioner saying it is too close to the Indian Air Force (IAF) ammunition depot.
About a week ago Sheetla Mata Colony experienced tension after some people belonging to Hindu outfits objected to the use of loudspeakers in the area, claiming that azaan or the call to prayer was disturbing them, according to The Indian Express.
“The mosque has been sealed in accordance with the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which prohibits any new construction within 300 metres of the IAF ammunition depot. The structure lies within this radius,” said Yashpal Yadav, MCG Commissioner.
Representatives of the Muslim community had on September 6 met the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to discuss the matter. In a letter to him, the Muslim Ekta Manch had alleged, “Two-three days ago, some anti-social elements came to the area and submitted a letter against us to the Commissioner of Police. The SHO of Sector 5 police station called both sides on September 5 and asked us to keep the volume of the loudspeaker low.”
The community had claimed that the volume of the loudspeaker was lowered but some people belonging to Hindu outfits from outside the village were not “satisfied”.
“They said they did not like the presence of a mosque in the locality and that they would not allow us to pray there. They also indulged in sloganeering and threatened to kill us and burn our houses,” Haji Shehzad Khan, chairman of the Muslim Ekta Manch, told The Indian Express last week.
On the other hand, the representatives of Hindu outfits had said they could not meet the DC on Thursday (September 6) as “he was busy with other meetings”.
“Outfits had protested on Wednesday over the use of loudspeakers for prayers at a three-storey house. A letter was also given to the SHO, calling for a ban on the use of mic and loudspeakers and on reading namaz at the house,” Rajiv Mittal, national general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Kranti Dal had said.
Gurgaon had few months ago witnessed extremists forcefully stopping Muslims from offering Friday prayers on open spaces. The area close to New Delhi, Indian Capital, is short of the required number of mosques. Muslims living in the area say Friday prayers will not be offered on open spaces if the MCG approves proposals lying with it to construct mosques.
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