Sealed on Wednesday, Gurugram mosque remains shut; Friday prayers peaceful
GURUGRAM: Amid rumours on Friday that the mosque in Sheetla Mata Colony, which was sealed by the MCG on Wednesday, might be unsealed, the district administration clarified that no such order has been issued.
The representatives of Muslim Ekta Manch and Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch said they had met the divisional commissioner on Friday afternoon to seek his intervention in the matter.
“We told the divisional commissioner that the mosque was constructed in 2016 and is not under construction at present, as claimed by some civic officials. Documents were submitted as proof and he agreed to intervene,” said Haji Shehzad Khan, chairman of the Muslim Ekta Manch.
The MCG had sealed the mosque and 10 other buildings in the area on the grounds that these had been built after a direction of the Punjab and Haryana high court in September 2016, which stayed new construction in the 300-metre radius of the Indian Air Force (IAF) ammunition depot in Sector 14.
“There is a provision in the law that if any authority seals a structure, and a satisfactory appeal is made against it, the authority can unseal it. This (sealing) has all been done as per the law,” said Suresh, the divisional commissioner, said on Friday afternoon, after meeting the representatives of the Muslim Ekta Manch and Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch.
A release by the district administration later in the evening said that “an appeal can be made in the court of divisional commissioner against the municipal corporation Gurugram or the deputy commissioner’s direction (to seal the mosque). Till now no appeal has been filed by any party before the divisional commissioner hence, the divisional commissioner has not issued orders to unseal any of the properties.”
Suresh and deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment on the issue in the evening.
An municipal corporation Gurugram official said, seeking anonymity, “The structures were sealed as per directions of the high court as such and cannot be unsealed on the directions of any official. It would amount to contempt of court.”
The mosque, established in a three-storey residential building, was sealed a week after residents protested outside the mosque on September 5, against the newly installed loudspeaker on the premises, complaining that the call to prayer was loud and caused disturbance.