After when the UP cops ordered the firms in Noida’s industrial hub to make sure that their employees shouldn’t offer prayers in open spaces including roads, parks, the Muslim workers (worshippers) said they have no place to offer prayers.
Cops in the state ordered that Muslim workers need to offer Friday prayer during work hours in mosques, Idgahs or else they need to do Namaz inside the company premises.
The three Muslim youthsNouman Akhtar, Adil Rashid and Ehsaan Alam say that they just need a ground where the community can come in numbers, spread their prayer mats and offer Friday prayers in peace.
The three had been doing congregational prayers for the last five years in a public park in Sector-58, Noida until the authorities new order.
“We don’t want to fight with anyone; we just want to pray peacefully,” Akhtar told News18.
After the new orders have been passed, Muslims who live and work in sectors 57, 58, 59, and 60 don’t have any place to offer prayers.
“There is no mosque in a five-kilometre radius; the park was the only place for us. Now where do we go?” asked Alam.
Alam plies his trade in the garment factory in Sector-58 and has been offering prayers at the park for five years.
“Hamare office mein bhi notice bhej di. Ab hum kya kahin bhi namaaz na padhein ( They even sent a notice to our offices. Can we not pray anywhere now?” asked Alam
Rashid told that the prayer group “Mohammadiya Trust” and also Muslim policemen from the area would come and offer Friday prayers. The district authority and police, nonetheless, insist that group didn’t have the permission to pray in open places.
The DM and the SP of the area addressed the reporters regarding the matter on Thursday. “For permission, you must first see whose land is it. The park is a Noida Authority land and the request for permission did not have a NoC from the Noida Authority,” DM Brajesh Narayan Singh said.
