Gurugram: Seven people were detained by police here over an alleged attempt to disrupt the Friday “namaz” by raising slogans.
A police official said some people were detained in the Sector 37 area as a precautionary measure to maintain peace.
Several members of some Hindu outfits gathered at the site and raised “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram” slogans as members of the Muslim community were arriving at the open site to offer Friday prayers.
As sloganeering continued and apprehending breach of peace in the area, police detained seven people.
There were allegations that some locals had earlier in the day parked their trucks near the site, claiming parking problems.
Last Friday, locals from several villages had occupied the designated site, which lies near the Sector 37 police station and held a “havan”, claiming the event was to pay homage to martyrs of the Mumbai terror attacks.
A month ago, BJP leader Kapil Mishra had attended a Govardhan puja held at a site in Gurugram’s Sector 12A, where Muslims used to offer prayers every week.
The puja was organised by the Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti.
Objecting to anyone occupying a public place to offer prayers, Mishra had then said, “If people from different religions, faiths and sects keep occupying open public spaces on one day every week, it will result in blockade of all roads and parks.”
Around 30 people had been briefly detained by police on October 29 for allegedly gathering to disrupt Friday “namaz” offered by Muslims in the Sector 12 area in Gurugram.
Three years ago, the district administration had designated 37 sites in the city for Muslims to offer Friday prayers after which there were protests by some Hindu groups.
A few months ago, one group started protests against the prayers offered in the open after which there have been protests on Fridays for the past several weeks.