Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand), February 20 Authorities in Jyotirmath, Uttarakhand, held a meeting with community members in the wake of rising tensions after a video of prayers being offered in a partially-constructed government building went viral on social media.
The municipal council on Thursday revoked the verbal permission granted for offering prayers in the building and locked it.
Jyotirmath Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chandrashekhar Vashisht told reporters that a meeting was held on Thursday with representatives from both communities as a precautionary measure to maintain peace.
He said that the police have been instructed to keep a watchful eye on any elements that could disrupt the atmosphere.
Some Hindu groups met with the district magistrate and the superintendent of police to raise concerns and demand an investigation.
The controversy centers around a video showing some people offering prayers in a partially-constructed table tennis court in the Meat Bazaar area of the Jyotirmath municipal council.
Municipal Council President Deveshwari Shah told reporters that Muslims had obtained verbal permission to offer prayers.
However, after a meeting of council members chaired by Shah in the evening, the room in the building was locked.
In 2017, a gurdwara here had opened its doors to the Muslim community to offer prayers during Eid al-Adha due to heavy rainfall.
