The Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar said that Muslims should not offer Friday congregational prayers in open spaces.
Khattar’s statement comes as Hindu mobs repeatedly harass and intimidate Muslims looking to pray at agreed sites.
The Chief Minister said the Gurgaon administration is renegotiating with all parties involved and would work out an “amicable solution” that doesn’t encroach on anyone’s rights. “Until then, people should offer prayers at their homes and other places of worship,” he said, NDTV reported.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Khattar said, “I have spoken to the police and this issue must be resolved. We don’t have problems with anyone praying at places of worship. Those places have been built for this purpose.”
“But these should not be done in the open. We won’t tolerate the custom of offering namaz in the open,” the Chief Minister maintained.
The administration will work out ways to help free areas and sites belonging to the Waqf that may have been encroached upon, he said.