In the sensitive Purola town in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, Muslims did not gather for namaz in public places on the occasion of Id-ul-Azha on June 29, following pressure from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Many drove to far-off places to offer namaz.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had asked the minority community to avoid offering prayers in public places.
Ashok Chaudhary, station house officer of the Purola police station, said the decision to not offer namaz in public places was taken by the community itself to maintain public peace. “We offered security to Muslims to arrange Id namaz, but they said they would not offer prayers in public,” he said.
