Partial demolition of Ujjain mosque sparks protests over road widening

• Protests erupted over plans to remove part of Ujjain’s Shahi Mosque for a road widening project

• Police used tear gas and batons as tensions escalated; media reports said at least a dozen people were injured

• Mosque representatives agreed to remove a portion themselves, while Muslim leaders raised concerns over safeguards for places of worship

The partial demolition of the Shahi Mosque in Ujjain for a road widening project ahead of the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh Mela has triggered protests, clashes with police and concerns among Muslim residents over the future of the religious structure.

Hundreds gathered outside the mosque in the Chhatri Chowk area on Sunday night, fearing that authorities would demolish it overnight. The vigil continued as bulldozers arrived nearby, with the crowd swelling to thousands.

Zeeshan Khan, a 30-year-old digital marketing entrepreneur who joined the protest, told Al Jazeera that he had not slept properly for three consecutive nights.

According to Khan, the dispute began around two months earlier when the Ujjain Municipal Corporation issued a notice seeking to acquire part of the mosque for the road project. He said the notice gave mosque representatives until 10 September to remove the affected structure themselves or face government action.

The road is being widened to accommodate visitors during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years on the banks of the Kshipra River.

A petition seeking to stop the demolition was dismissed by the High Court, which cited the need for additional space to manage pilgrimage traffic, according to an account reported by the Al Jazeera.

Following discussions with district officials, mosque representatives secured an agreement to reduce the portion to be removed from more than seven feet to three feet.

However, the arrival of bulldozers on Sunday night heightened fears among residents. Authorities attributed the gathering to rumours fuelled by AI-generated social media posts suggesting that the mosque was about to be demolished.

Khan gave a different account, saying officials had blocked the area and told community members to remove the affected portion themselves or allow the administration to do so.

Tensions escalated on Monday morning, when police fired tear gas to disperse protesters. Media reports said demonstrators threw stones and police used batons, leaving at least a dozen people injured. Several men were arrested.

The mosque committee subsequently agreed to dismantle part of the structure. Community members used hammers and rods to take down a platform alongside the mosque.

“We demolished it with our own hands,” Khan told Al Jazeera. “It hurts us deeply.”

He said authorities removed part of the mosque’s minaret on Tuesday, but work had not begun inside the mosque. The surrounding area was sealed and placed under heavy security.

The dispute prompted a protest in New Delhi on Tuesday organised by the Monitoring Committee of Indian Muslims. Muslim parliamentarians and religious leaders attended, questioning demolition action affecting places of worship.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind president Syed Sadatullah Hussaini said the concerns extended beyond one mosque or community. He argued that action against religious structures without adequate legal and constitutional safeguards raised questions about the rule of law.

Asif Mujtaba, founder of a New Delhi-based charity, told Al Jazeera that many Muslims viewed such demolition drives in the context of political rhetoric and recurring disputes involving mosques, madrasas and other community institutions.

The Al Jazeera reported that its calls to two BJP spokespersons in Madhya Pradesh went unanswered.

With agency inputs