In a notice issued to companies and offices in Noida’s industrial hub, Uttar Pradesh police has asked the firms to ensure that their employees don’t offer namaz in open public spaces, including parks.
According to a notice issued last week by police stations in Noida, including at the Sector 58 industrial hub, companies will be held liable if their employees are found violating the directive. They have been asked to offer Friday prayers during work hours in mosques, idgahs or inside the premises of the company.
According to police, prior clearance has to be taken for performing religious activities at parks, as these are public spaces.
According to reports, some people had gone to the City magistrate asking for permission to offer prayers. But the authorities are unwilling to allow namaz being offered in public.
The Noida Police has defended the move citing concerns that communal harmony could be disturbed, especially in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
