Ujjain Shahi Masjid row erupts: Stone-pelting, tear gas as protesters resist mosque demolition

Tensions escalated when stones were allegedly hurled at security personnel, prompting police to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The Ujjain Municipal Corporation has begun the process of removing the portion of the mosque that falls within the proposed road alignment.

What is being removed?

The action concerns a portion of the Shahi Masjid, not the demolition of the entire mosque.

According to court records, the proposed removal includes part of the prayer hall, or Jamat Khana, a 120-foot-tall minaret and the Mazhar Chouk Shahi. The mosque is registered as a Waqf property.

The mosque's imam, Mohammad Ibrahim, has said the structure dates back 636 years, to 1390.

Why is the portion being removed?

The removal is linked to a road-widening project between Kanthal Chauraha and Gopal Mandir. The road is proposed to be widened to 15 metres ahead of the Simhastha 2028 religious gathering.

The administration has argued that the widening is required to improve traffic movement and safety during the large influx of devotees expected during the event.

What did the High Court say?

The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Indore Bench on September 9 dismissed two petitions challenging the Ujjain Municipal Corporation's decision to remove the portion of the mosque.

Justice Sandeep N Bhatt held that the petitioners had been given an opportunity to raise their objections and that the municipal corporation's action could not be characterised as arbitrary or discriminatory.

The court noted that portions of 10 temples and one mosque along the same road had already been removed and that action had been taken against constructions involving around 80 religious places in Ujjain.

The petitioners had argued that the proposed action violated their constitutional rights under Articles 14, 25 and 26, as well as their property rights under Article 300A. The court rejected the challenge.

Protesters oppose removal

Members of the Muslim community had gathered at the mosque ahead of the proposed action, with some staying overnight in an attempt to prevent the removal.

They argued that the road could instead be widened by removing structures on the opposite side and said religious sites should be excluded from the road-widening exercise.

The latest confrontation occurred as authorities moved ahead with the removal process on Monday, with heavy police deployment in the area.