Members of right-wing Hindu groups on Friday organised Govardhan Puja at a designated namaz site in Sector 12, where Muslims offer prayers on Fridays. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also attended the rituals, which were organised by the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti.

While members of Hindu groups said that the action was to mark their protest against namaz being offered in open spaces, members of Muslim communities said that they decided not to offer prayers at the site in Sector 12 due to objections raised by residents as well as protests by Hindu groups over the past few weeks.

Namaz was majorly held at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29 besides other designated locations, while Govardhan Puja was offered at designated namaz sites in Sector 47 and DLF Phase-3, on a small scale, besides Sector 12.

Heavy police deployment was witnessed at all sites and the prayers by both communities went off peacefully.

KK Rao, the commissioner of police, said, “No report of disruption was received from any area and majority of Muslims offered prayers at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29, and they did not visit the Sector 12 area on Friday as they knew Govardhan puja was organised.”

Addressing the gathering of hundreds at Sector 12, BJP leader Kapil Mishra said that roads are not for religious activities. “Blocking roads is not part of any religion. People have first right to the roads,” said Mishra.

Surendra Kumar Jain, the international joint general secretary of Vishva Hindu Parishad, alleged that namaz was being offered in open spaces to establish control over public land.

Altaf Ahmad, a representative of the Muslim community in the city, said, “…we voluntarily stepped back as the same was advised by police… We have asked our Muslim community to show restraint and walk away in case troublemakers try to provoke or disrupt namaz.”

Over the past two weeks, right-wing outfits had tried to disrupt namaz at the open site in Sector 12 and on October 29, 35 protesters were detained for attempting to disrupt Friday prayers. Representatives of the Muslim community had agreed to relocate from the site, calling for an alternative space and clearing encroachments from Waqf Board properties.

Mahavir Bharadwaj, a member of the Sanyukt Hindu Sangarsh Samiti, claimed that the administration had to “bow down to their demands”. “The Muslim community has a month to make arrangements… to ensure they don’t offer namaz in open, “ he said.

However, officials of the district administration said permissions were withdrawn only for eight sites, and a decision on other sites will be taken later.

Yash Garg, the deputy commissioner of Gurugram, said that a committee, comprising a subdivisional magistrate, an assistant commissioner of police and members of religious organisations and civil society groups will discuss the issue. “The committee will also take consent from locals at the time of designating a spot for offering prayers but no concrete decision has been taken yet,” he said.