A group of Muslim residents offering afternoon Asr prayers inside the Electricity Department office of Malegaon Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra has triggered sharp criticism from right-wing leaders, who described the act as unauthorised in a “Hindu Rashtra.”
The incident arose from prolonged electricity outages in a local ward. Residents, led by Lukman Kamal, president of the Malegaon Lok Sangharsh Samiti, claimed their repeated complaints had been ignored. On the day in question, Electricity Department officials reportedly summoned them at 3 pm but kept them waiting for hours.
As the Asr prayer time approached and fearing the officials might cancel the meeting if they stepped out, the group performed namaz inside the office premises. A video of the prayer session surfaced on social media on Wednesday, February 25, igniting widespread debate.
BJP leaders strongly condemned the act. State minister Nitesh Rane, speaking to reporters after the Maharashtra budget session, remarked, “This is a Hindu rashtra. No one is allowed to do this here. Have these people been elected for the development of Malegaon or to do jihad? Why should they offer namaz there when there are so many mosques?”
Rane further asserted that action would be taken and reiterated his long-standing demand to shut down madrasas, calling them “centres for making terrorists.” He questioned whether similar facilities for learning the Bhagwat Gita would be permitted in Muslim-majority nations.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com. Read the full story here.