Strategy sessions through the week, cars and motorcycles to rush them around, and videos after every ‘victory’ — protesting against namaz at public places in Gurgaon now for several Fridays, the men in saffron robes have a standard operating protocol of sorts. Among them is a former wrestler, a “berozgar” who now goes by the second name “Hindu”, and a property dealer who sees himself as a social worker. Many claim affiliation to ‘Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti’ — a conglomerate of 22 Hindu right-wing groups.
This Friday, they are feeling further emboldened, by what they see as an “endorsement” of their protests: a statement by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that namaz should not take place at public spaces.
“Agar Bharat mein rehna hai toh Bharat Mata ki jai bolna padega (If you want to stay in India, you will have to say Bharat Mata ki jai),” says Amit, a familiar face now at the protests. A former wrestler, he claims to be part of the Bajrang Dal and the Youth Morcha president of the Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan, and says he has been associated with Hindu right-wing groups for 15 years.
Wearing saffron, his long hair tied in a bun, Amit, 27, cites “Hindu” as his chosen last name. Having done BA from a college in Gurgaon, the Sector 45 resident says he “lost interest in studies” and started working full-time “for interests of Hindus”.
Two weeks ago, he sat in protest outside the Sector 37 police station, after 10 people were detained for disrupting namaz. On November 5, when the Sanyukt Samiti organised a ‘Govardhan Puja’ at the Sector 12 site where namaz was earlier offered, with BJP leader Kapil Mishra in attendance, Amit was felicitated as a ‘Dharam Yodha’. Earlier, on October 29, he was one of the 26 people arrested for attempting to disrupt namaz at the site. He later posted pictures on Instagram of himself in a police bus.
“Mein berozgar hoon… Sirf Hindu Samaj aur desh ke liye kaam karta hoon (I am unemployed and work only for Hindu society and our country)… I am not scared of arrests. I have lost count of how many times I have been detained or arrested in Gurgaon and even Chandigarh and Ghaziabad,” Amit tells The Indian Express.
He says they will continue their protests in Gurgaon, “and whole India, till the practice (of namaz in the open) is stopped”. “People who want it can go to Pakistan. This is a country of Hindus. Why can’t people pray inside mosques?”
Several of the protesters are Amit’s acquaintances or friends. They have shown up at grounds across Gurgaon, stopping prayers for the past few weeks. At Sector 37, they have parked trucks, held havans, even organised a game of cricket, to stop the ground from being used for prayers.
One of the leaders is Parveen Yadav, 33, a real estate businessman from Sarhaul village. Yadav, who runs a ‘Manavta Sangathan’ “for the poor”, says: “During the week we hold meetings to discuss places where namaz is being offered illegally. For an hour late evening, we discuss issues concerned with our faith. Our sources inform us where people are likely to gather for namaz. We go there and inform them that the administration has withdrawn permission and ask them to leave. This is not namaz; this is a propaganda of Muslims to encroach land.”
Yadav says the protests have brought him close to “people with similar ideas and wavelength”. “If it is an issue of our faith… we have to step forward.”
On Friday, around 12.15 pm, Yadav, Amit and the others are assembled at Tau Devi Lal Park in Sector 22. “Last week, we heard that over 350 had offered namaz here,” says a group member. Five policemen are present at the park.
Half an hour later, they hear that over 80 Muslims are offering namaz at a park in Phase 5, Udyog Vihar. The group rush out, some take saffron robes from a car driven by Amit, then get onto an SUV, with ‘Sher’ sticker on the rear window, driven by Yadav. Others follow on motorcycles.
In 10 minutes, the group is at the Phase 5 park, where a maulvi is about to lead prayers. “Yahan namaz nahin hogi (Namaz will not take place here),” warns the group, telling the devotees that permission to offer namaz in the open had been withdrawn, as the CM had said.
On December 10, Khattar said namaz should not be offered in the open and the practice “will not be tolerated”, and that an earlier decision to reserve some sites for the purpose had been withdrawn.
Several try to force those who have come for prayers to raise slogans of “Bharat Mata ki jai”, or leave. For 10 minutes, there is an intense argument. As the threats continue, the devotees leave, folding up their mats. One group member tells them, “If you want namaz, say Bharat Mata ki jai. Those not saying so are Rohingya.”
Haider, who is among those leaving, says the men told them to go to Sector 29. “They said first chant the slogan and then you can offer prayers. I am a patriot. I don’t have to prove this to anyone.”
Another person, who didn’t want to identify himself, said: “It takes only 20-25 minutes to offer namaz. There are not enough religious places in Gurgaon. We pray during the lunch break at work and cannot go to far-off places to offer namaz.”
Gurgaon D C Yash Garg could not be contacted. Altaf Ahmad, spokesperson, Gurgaon Muslim Council, said the administration was letting vigilantes take over law and order in Gurgaon. “They are defining how Juma Namaz (Friday prayers) will be offered and where.”
While the confrontation at the Phase 5 park is on, the men are in touch with associates to ask if namaz is being offered in other areas. Yadav, who claims he stopped namaz at Sector 44 last week, tells one of them: “This one in Udyog Vihar has been shut down. Send videos of other sites.”
As they are about to leave, some policemen ask what the ruckus was about. “What problem do these people have in saying Bharat Mata ki Jai? Are they not Indians?” Amit replies.
By then, Amit and his associates are in a hurry to reach the Sector 22 park. News has come of namaz being offered there. On the way, the group stop to exchange notes on where to head.
Finally, they are back in the Sector 22 park. “It seems the Muslims are not coming here today,” says Amit, before they disperse at 1.40 pm, making plans to meet again next Friday.
This story first appeared on indianexpress.com