GURUGRAM: Sparking a communal row, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Sunday that namaz should be read in mosques or idgahs rather than in public spaces.

The remark, made in response to questions about current disturbance of Friday prayers in Gurugram, came a day after right-wing groups urged the CM and saffron party BJP to make their stand clear. Right-wing outfits in the city have assertively announced they won't allow namaz in open spaces. They added that prayers should only be offered in mosques and other designated places.

CM Khattar responded to reporters' queries, saying that "incidents of namaz being offered in the open have increased" adding that "Namaz should be read in a masjid or an idgah, and if short of space, they (Muslims) should read it in their private spaces," .

He further said that there’s no problem and there is no objection from the public, but if a group or a person objects, one has to take note.

CM noted “We'll keep an eye on the issue,”

 When question raised sparking tension due to vigilantism, the CM asserted maintaining law and order is the government's duty, and it will perform that.

Last Friday, a number of groups went across the city, echoing slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bangladeshi wapas jao', and chased away prayer parishioners in some places.

 They also termed the practice of offering namaz in public spaces as 'land jihad'.