Ggn police apprehend activist for attempting to open sealed mosque

Gurugram: Gurugram Police on Friday detained social activist Shakil Saifi for allegedly marching along with a group of his followers to a sealed mosque in Sheetla Colony to break open its locks.

Saifi denied the charges and said it was a ploy by the administration to vitiate the communal harmony in the city.

"I will go to the Chief Minister and beseech him. They must not vitiate the communal harmony of the region through such acts," said Saifi. It may be noted that the mosque had been sealed by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) as it was reportedly located within 300 m of the Air Force ammunition depot.

It was believed that due to protests by some religious groups, the seal would be removed. However, the decision was withheld.

While many in Haryana have defended the sealing as being legal, there are others who have claim it is intended spur tension in the state that, which will witness elections next year.

Earlier, there were protests by members of a certain community claiming that loudspeakers were being used in the mosque. It was later revealed that the protestors were demanding the mosque's closure claiming it to be built illegally.