Video of a desperate elderly Muslim in Haryana’s Gurugram expressing his disgust after the local administration sealed the local mosque has gone viral on social media platforms.
In the video, 69-year-old Mohammad Akhtar is seen desperately lodging his protest against the sealing of the local mosque in Gurugram in Haryana. The state has the BJP government under Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
The BJP-run administration, according to reports, sealed the place of worship as part of its drive against Illegal structures on Wednesday. A reporting working for The Hindu newspaper said that the Hindu outfits in the area had objected to the use of the loudspeakers at the mosque a week ago.
In the video, Akhtar is seen shouting in desperation, ” Tell me which law allows you to seal our mosque without any notice. We’ve been offering namaz here for the last six months here. Can anyone tell us if we created any public nuisance here? All senior officers including the Commissioner assured us. Our sisters and daughters offer namaz at homes. Seal them too and declare that there’s no place for Muslims (in India), They can’t live here, they can’t die here.”
The local community gathered in the area as the news of the mosque being sealed spread. “A temple, a church and all houses in this locality are illegal as they fall under 300m radius of the Air Force ammunition depot. And there are hundreds of such structures. The mosque has been sealed under pressure from the Hindu outfits,” one Haji Aleen Khan was quoted by The Hindu.
Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon Commissioner Yashpal Yadav said that the mosue had been sealed ‘in accordance with the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which prohibits any new construction within 300 metres of the IAF ammunition depot.’ The structure lies within this radius, he told Indian Express.
A tweet by MCG said, “11 Illegal structures within 300 mtrs of the Ammunition depot have been sealed today. Despite repeated directions from the Administration constructions were identified ongoing at few sites.”