A historic Shahi Masjid in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain is facing demolition on the pretext of road-widening project, with local Muslims complaining that the administration has removed part of the mosque. Tensions escalated over the proposed demolition. The development followed several nights of vigil by hundreds of Muslims who gathered inside and outside the mosque to prevent its demolition.

A local resident said that the mosque’s representative committee and the administration had reached an understanding on September 27 under which three feet of the hanging slab, where prayers are not offered, would be removed by the community itself. Residents said the administration had initially sought a larger portion of about eight feet.

However, locals alleged that officials returned the following morning with bulldozers and heavy police deployment, prompting people to gather again around the mosque. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. “It was decided that we would remove the parts ourselves, then why did the bulldozers arrive?

The administration deceived us, and that’s why we were forced to demolish the parts of the mosque ourselves,” a local resident said.  The dispute also involves one of the mosque’s minarets. Residents said they had been assured that a new minaret would first be constructed before the existing one was removed, but alleged that the administration did not accept the proposal.

The developments have intensified concerns among local Muslims and civil society activists over the fate of historic Islamic structures. A prominent cleric, Mufti Junaid, said that several other old mosques in Ujjain could also be at risk, while questioning efforts that, in his view, could diminish the visible presence of Muslim religious heritage in the city.

The controversy has therefore moved beyond the immediate road-widening dispute, highlighting wider concerns over the preservation of historical religious sites and Muslim heritage in India. For the community gathered at Shahi Masjid, the continued presence of bulldozers around the mosque has kept fears of further demolition alive.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)