After Namaz row, Noida admin disallows Hindu religious event

Couple of days after denying permission to offer Namaz in public parks in Gautam Budh Nagar, Greater Noida Authority officials, along with Noida police, on Wednesday removed a tent placed for a Hindu religious event on a government land in Sector 37 here, an officer said.

The Greater Noida Authority officer said the organisers did not have requisite permission for the ceremony from the district administration.

"We received information about the programme being held on a 1,000-sq.mt land which belongs to the Greater Noida Authority. Since no permission was sought by the organisers, we disallowed holding of this event," the officer said.

A nine-day "Bhagwat Katha", a Hindu religious programme, was scheduled to begin from Wednesday on the land, he said.

"The organisers had placed tents and loudspeakers at the site which were removed. We directed the organisers to first take permission from the district administration to perform such religious ceremony," the officer added.

Following the incident, several people staged protest outside the Authority and raised slogans.

Earlier, the Noida police had issued notice to around 23 multinational companies in Sector 58 Police Station area to stop their Muslim employees from gathering in a local park without permission for offering Friday namaz.

The administration said such religious gatherings at public places are unauthorised and cannot be performed without administration's permission.

--IANS

sp/nir