Municipality withdraws permission for prayers in government building in Uttarkhand
Authorities in Jyotirmath held a peace meeting after a video showed namaz being offered in an under-construction government building. The municipality withdrew verbal permission, locked the premises and directed police vigilance to maintain communal harmony
Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand): Authorities in Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand held a meeting with community members, amid simmering tension after a video of namaz being offered in an under-construction government building surfaced on social media.
The municipality on Thursday withdrew the verbal permission given for offering namaz in the building and locked it.
Jyotirmath Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chandrashekhar Vashisht told reporters that a meeting was held on Thursday with members of both communities as a precautionary measure for peace.
He said police have been instructed to keep a vigil on elements that may disrupt the atmosphere.
Some Hindu outfits met the district magistrate and superintendent of police on the issue and demanded an investigation.
At the heart of the controversy is a video in which some people are seen offering namaz in an under-construction table tennis court in the Meat Bazaar area of Jyotirmath municipality.
Municipal Council President Deveshwari Shah told reporters that Muslims had obtained verbal permission to offer namaz.
However, after a meeting of councillors chaired by Shah in the evening, the room in the building was locked.
In 2017, a gurdwara here had opened its gates for the members of the Muslim community to offer namaz on Eid al-Adha due to heavy rain.