A nearly 600-year-old Shahi Mosque in India’s Ujjain is being partially demolished for a road-widening project linked to preparations for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh Mela, with protests over the move turning violent as police resorted to using force against the demonstrators.
As per the details, the road from Kanthal crossing to Gopal Mandir is being widened to 15 metres ahead of the Hindu religious gathering. The project covers around 900 metres and involves the removal or modification of structures that fall within the proposed alignment.
The situation began to escalate on Sunday night and intensified on Monday morning as Muslim residents gathered over the proposed partial demolition of the mosque.
Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh told an Indian media outlet that the rumours about the mosque was being forcibly demolished led to the unrest, after which some people allegedly clashed with police and threw stones.
“Members of the Muslim community themselves were removing the required portion of the mosque structure but some miscreants cause disturbance in the process and started creating nuisance. The police have dealt with them with mild force,” he said, adding that some police personnel suffered minor injuries.
Singh said that only a small portion of the mosque, located at Ujjain’s Chhatri Chowk, needed to be removed for the road-widening work.
“The demolition process is now underway and the community members are themselves doing it,” he added.
Ujjain Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradeep Sharma said that the situation had returned to normal and that demolition work had been underway since 9 am.
“We have taken about seven people into custody and five content creators who spread misinformation have also been booked. The misunderstanding is now clear,” he said.
The Simhastha Kumbh is a Hindu religious gathering held every 12 years in Ujjain.
