Gopeshwar (Uttarakhand), February 19 Authorities in Jyotirmath, in the Chamoli district, held a meeting with community members on Thursday, after a video of prayers being performed in a partially constructed government building went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, the municipality revoked the verbal permission given for prayers and locked the building.
Jyotirmath Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chandrashekhar Vashisht told reporters that the meeting was held as a precautionary measure to maintain peace.
He said that the police have been instructed to keep a close watch on any elements that might disrupt the atmosphere.
Some Hindu groups met with the district magistrate and superintendent of police to demand an investigation.
The controversy revolves around a video showing a few people performing prayers on a table tennis court in the Meat Bazaar area of Jyotirmath Municipality.
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, the management of a gurdwara here had opened its gates for members of the Muslim community to offer prayers during Eid al-Adha due to heavy rainfall.
