Maharashtra police file case against seven Muslims for offering prayer in Govt Office
Mumbai: Police have registered a case against seven Muslims for offering prayers inside an electricity department office in Malegaon town of Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a video showing the men offering prayers within the office premises went viral on social media, triggering strong reactions from Hindutva organisations. Leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded strict action against the Muslims involved, while BJP leader Kirit Somaiya raised the matter with the Chief Minister. Police said the case was registered following a complaint lodged by Hindutva groups.
In their response, the Muslims who offered prayers said they neither intended to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments nor to disrupt official work. Speaking to media representatives, they explained that they had gone to the electricity department office to lodge a complaint about a power outage in their locality.
They said the concerned officer was not present in his room when they arrived. While waiting, it time for Asr prayer began. Noticing an empty space inside the office, they offered a brief prayer there without causing any disturbance or interruption to work.
They further said that if they had stepped outside the office to offer pray, they might have missed the opportunity to meet the officer and their complaint regarding the electricity issue could have been delayed. They reiterated that there was no ill intent behind offering prayers inside the office premises.
