Ujjain: Tear Gas Fired as Shahi Masjid Removal Sparks Clashes

Tension gripped the area around Ujjain's Shahi Masjid on Monday morning after residents opposing the removal of a portion of the mosque clashed with police, who fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Stones were allegedly pelted at security personnel as the confrontation escalated.

The flashpoint came as the Ujjain Municipal Corporation began removing the section of the mosque that falls within the alignment of a road being widened ahead of Simhastha 2028. A large crowd had gathered at the site as the operation started, and police and protesters came face to face amid continuing opposition.

Authorities had made extensive security arrangements following an overnight standoff, during which hundreds of residents and members of the Muslim community had assembled at the mosque to block the proposed removal. Around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in the area, with barricades placed around the mosque and movement restricted within a radius of about 500 metres. Senior police and administrative officials are present at the spot.

The resistance had been building for two days. On Sunday night, police and municipal teams arrived with JCBs and other heavy machinery, but a large gathering outside the mosque prevented the administration from proceeding. Community members also spent the night inside the mosque, stating they would not permit any part of the religious structure to be removed.

Attempts were made overnight to resolve the standoff through discussions between the administration and representatives of the mosque. Some accounts suggested an understanding had been reached under which community members would themselves remove the affected portion, but the arrangement did not hold and opposition resumed when the removal process began on Monday.

The dispute concerns the widening of the road between Kanthal Chauraha and Gopal Mandir. The roughly 900-metre stretch is being widened to 15 metres as part of preparations for Simhastha 2028, and several religious structures fall within the alignment. Most of the affected structures have already been removed, leaving the Shahi Masjid as the main point of resistance.

The mosque committee and members of the Muslim community have argued that the road should be widened through an alternative alignment or by removing structures opposite the mosque. They have also challenged the proposed removal in court, contending that the mosque, registered as a Waqf property, should be protected as a religious structure.

The legal challenge is continuing even as the administration proceeds on the ground. The Madhya Pradesh High Court's Indore Bench had on September 9 dismissed two petitions challenging the municipal corporation's decision, holding that the authorities had followed the statutory procedure and that the proposed removal did not violate Articles 14, 25, 26 or 300A of the Constitution. The court also took note of the road's importance for traffic management during Simhastha and the location of the mosque near the Mahakaleshwar Temple and the Kshipra river.

The mosque committee has since approached a Division Bench, with the matter scheduled for hearing on Monday.