Namaz row: No mala fide intention, say officials
NOIDA:SENIOR administration officials on Tuesday defended a police notice served to companies and offices in the industrial hub of Sector 58, asking them to stop their Muslim employees from offering namaz at a public park.
As the order kicked up a controversy, Gautam Budh Nagar’s district magistrate BN Singh clarified that there was no “malafide intention” behind the order.
“As per a Supreme Court order of 2009, to hold any religious ceremony in public place, it is essential to seek permission from the police and administration. There was no malafide intention behind the notice and the police officers were on only following the orders of the apex court,” said Singh.
Singh also said that the notice was not discriminatory towards any particular religion. “I beg to differ because the notice clearly states that the administration has not allowed to hold any sort of religious activity in the park, which includes the Friday prayers by Muslims.”
In May, a similar row had been reported from Haryana where members of a religious outfit had raised objections to people in Gurugram offering Friday prayers on public land.
The notice was issued by Pankaj Rai, station house officer of Sector 58 police station. The notice asks the companies to tell their Muslim employees not to gather for namaz at the Noida Authority’s public park in Sector 58. It goes on to say that if people still gather there, the companies will be held accountable for them.
Noida SSP Ajay Pal Sharma said at least 300 people had written to the city magistrate on December 8, seeking permission to offer namaz in the park. “The city magistrate had not granted the permission to offer namaz and police officials conveyed the decision to the people who had gathered in the park. The move was not discriminatory towards any community,” said Sharma.
Muslims, who work in the area, however said that they go to the park out of necessity and not out of choice.