Chhattisgarh: Students 'Forced' To Offer Eid Namaz During NSS Camp In University

Students of Guru Ghasidas University in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh alleged that they were forced to offer 'namaz' on March 30, the day of Eid, during an NSS camp. The allegations of coercion leveled against the NSS Coordinator and Program Officer during an NSS camp.

The camp was held from March 26 to April 1, where a total of 159 students from the university participated. Among them, only 4 students were Muslim, and the rest were Hindu. In connection with this matter, students have submitted a written complaint at the Koni police station.

As per the complaint, the camp coordinator called those four Muslim students onto the stage and had them repeat the process of offering namaz. Following this, other students were also instructed to repeat the same process and learn it.

All Students’ Mobile Phones Were Collected During Namaz

During this time, all students’ mobile phones were collected, which is why no photo or video evidence is available. However, some students have verbally and in writing objected to the incident. 

At present, a complaint regarding this incident has been registered at the Koni police station, and an investigation into the incident is underway.

Reacting to the issue, former Chhattisgarh Congress president Dhanendra Sahu told Haribhoomi, "For the first time, I’ve heard of a religious activity being conducted at an NSS camp. This matter from Bilaspur is extremely serious. Non-Muslim students being made to offer namaz needs to be thoroughly investigated. Strict action should be taken in this case. Ever since the BJP government came to power, law and order seems to have ceased to exist."

In a separate incident, Police have filed a case after a video showing namaz being offered in an open area at a private university during Holi celebrations surfaced on social media, officials confirmed on Saturday (March 15). Ganga Nagar SHO Anoop Singh stated that the FIR was registered following a complaint from Kartik Hindu.

According to IIMT University spokesperson Sunil Sharma, an internal probe revealed that the public offering of namaz and the circulation of the video appeared to be aimed at disturbing communal harmony.

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