Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Police registering a case against 26 people on the basis of "unlawful assembly" for offering namaz together in a house, AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi termed the police's move as "injustice".
Asaduddin Owaisi said, "Supreme Court has said that 'namaz' can be offered anywhere. Why is there an objection to offering 'namaz' at home? This is injustice."
On August 24, a huge number of people gathered to offer namaz under Chhajlet PS limits in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad. According to police, there was no mosque there, only two houses.
"On August 24, a huge number of people gathered to offer namaz under Chhajlet PS limits; there was no mosque there, only 2 houses. After receiving a complaint, a case has been registered against the owners of both houses; both absconding, probe on," Moradabad SP SK Meena said on August 27.
Owaisi took to Twitter and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi the namaz issue. He wrote, "Muslims in India can no longer offer Namaz even at home? Do I have to take permission from the government/police to offer prayers now? @narendramodi should answer this, till when will Muslims be treated as second class urbanites in the country?"
According to the AIMIM chief, fundamentalism in society has increased.
"The fundamentalism in the society has spread to such an extent that now even offering prayers in others' homes hurts the "emotion" of the people," he added in another tweet.
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah tweeted on UP police's objection to the namaz saying, "I'm sure if one of the neighbours had a hawan with 26 friends and relatives that would be perfectly acceptable. It's not the 'mass gathering' that is the problem; it's the offering of namaz."
In July, an FIR was registered against six persons for offering Namaz at Lucknow's swanky Lulu mall.
( With inputs from ANI )
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