BHOPAL: Tensions flared in Ujjain's Chhatri Chowk area on Monday morning, hours after protests over the partial demolition of the century-old Shahi Masjid were reportedly called off following an overnight agreement, with police firing tear gas shells to disperse a crowd that hurled stones over the proposed removal.
The clashes came 19 days after the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench cleared the way for the demolition as part of road-widening work for Simhastha-2028.
Protests over the mosque had continued since Saturday. During the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the mosque committee and Muslim religious leaders reportedly agreed to remove the required portion themselves instead of allowing the administration to demolish it. Protesters dispersed and the earthmovers brought by the administration were reportedly withdrawn.
A few hours later,a group of women gathered at Makodiya Aam Naka on Agar Road, around 5 km from central Ujjain, blocking a route used by devotees heading to the Mahakal Temple and other temples. Police were deployed to clear the road.
Meanwhile, a group of men gathered at Anda Gali, around 100 metres from the mosque. When police tried to disperse them, several groups, mostly youngsters, allegedly began pelting stones at the barricaded area from narrow lanes around 9.30 am. Police used tear gas and force to disperse the crowds.
Crime Branch Inspector Pushpa Panchal sustained an injury to her hand while trying to stop a group of women protesting with metal sheets. Around 2,500 police and Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed in the affected and other communally sensitive areas of the city.
"Some anti-social elements tried to vitiate the atmosphere by blocking the road and pelting stones. They were dealt with firmly. The situation is under control," Ujjain Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma said. He added that those involved were being identified through CCTV and drone footage and legal action would follow.
The SP said police used tear gas and mild force to control the situation but no one was injured in the incident.
He said some people have been arrested and 15 other detained, while a case has been registered against seven individuals, including some social media influencers who allegedly shared inflammatory statements and incited people.
Collector Roshan Singh described the removal as voluntary. "Houses, shops and places of worship falling within the road-widening area are being removed by members of the respective communities," he said, calling it an example of cooperation, and urged people to ignore rumours.
Ujjain Shahar Qazi Khali Kurre Rehman also appealed for peace. He said the mosque matter was settled overnight and asked people not to gather in markets and cautioned against rumours.
As part of preparations for Simhastha 2028, the administration is widening a roughly one-km Master Plan Road between Kanthal Chowraha and Gopal Mandir. Portions of several houses on the stretch have reportedly been removed by their owners, while five or six temples, including Takshali Ganesh, Siddhi Vinayak Ganesh, a Hanuman temple, Manokamna Siddha Mahadev and a Bhairav temple, have been removed or shifted.
The Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) had also marked a portion of the Shahi Masjid for demolition.
The mosque committee’s two petitions against the move were dismissed on September 9 by a single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep N Bhatt. The court held that the UMC had followed due process and that no interference was called for, citing the expected crowds of devotees, the need for better traffic management and the mosque’s location near the Mahakaleshwar Temple and Kshipra River.
On Monday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court disposed of two appeals filed by the Muslim side over the removal, after the petitioners said the matter had been settled with the Ujjain civic body.
The Indore bench comprising Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Jai Kumar Pillai disposed of the petitioners' separate appeals after they stated that a settlement had been reached between them and the Ujjain Municipal Corporation regarding the removal of obstructions to the mosque.