Members of the Muslim community began voluntarily removing the portion of Ujjain’s Shahi Masjid that falls within a road-widening alignment for preparations for Simhastha 2028. The move followed an agreement with the Ujjain civic administration. The work was briefly disrupted by stone-pelting and clashes with police, prompting the use of tear gas and increased security. The Madhya Pradesh High Court also disposed of two appeals after the petitioners cited a settlement with the civic body.
Ujjain, Sept 2026 : Members of the Muslim community on Monday began voluntarily removing a portion of the Shahi Masjid at Chhatri Chowk in Ujjain that falls within the alignment of a road being widened ahead of Simhastha 2028, following an agreement reached with the district administration.
Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh said the decision followed a meeting held on Sunday night between senior administrative and police officials and representatives of the Muslim community. The meeting resulted in an agreement that the affected portion of the religious structure would be removed to facilitate the road-widening project.
The removal work began on Monday morning in the presence of administrative and police officials. Singh said members of the community were themselves undertaking the removal and that the process was proceeding under official supervision.
The road-widening project is part of the infrastructure preparations for Simhastha 2028 and is intended to improve connectivity and facilitate the movement of pilgrims and religious processions through congested parts of the temple city. The project involves the removal or modification of structures falling within the proposed road alignment.
The process was briefly disrupted on Monday morning when a crowd gathered at the site and stones were allegedly thrown at police personnel deployed there. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and subsequently strengthened security around Chhatri Chowk.
Senior administrative and police officials remained at the site to monitor the situation and oversee the continuation of the road-widening work. Police said they were examining CCTV footage and other recordings to identify those allegedly involved in the stone-pelting and disturbance.
Singh appealed to residents to maintain peace and refrain from believing or spreading rumours. He said people from different sections and communities had been cooperating with the road-widening exercise and urged residents to continue supporting the administration.
Ujjain City Qazi Khaliqur Rahman, along with community office-bearers and senior members, also appealed for calm. Community representatives said the mosque-related issue had been resolved through discussions with the administration and urged members of the Muslim community to maintain peace and cooperate with officials.
The developments came amid heightened tension in the city over the proposed removal of the mosque portion. Earlier, members of the Muslim community had gathered at the site and opposed the proposed action, while the administration held discussions with community representatives.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench on Monday disposed of two appeals concerning the Shahi Masjid after the Muslim petitioners informed the court that they had reached an agreement with the Ujjain Municipal Corporation. The court took note of the settlement and assurances given by the civic body before disposing of the appeals.
The High Court had earlier upheld the municipal corporation’s decision to remove portions of the mosque as part of the road-widening project. The court had noted the broader requirement of improving traffic management and facilitating the movement of devotees expected to visit Ujjain during Simhastha 2028.
Divisional Commissioner Ashish Singh, ADG Rakesh Gupta, DIG Navneet Bhasin, Collector Roshan Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma and Municipal Commissioner Abhilash Mishra remained at the site with their teams as the work and security arrangements continued.
The administration has maintained that the road-widening exercise is aimed at improving infrastructure and managing the expected movement of pilgrims during Simhastha 2028. The event is expected to draw a large number of devotees to Ujjain, making road connectivity, crowd management and emergency access key components of the city's preparations.
With the affected mosque portion now being removed following the agreement, officials are focusing on maintaining peace and ensuring that the wider infrastructure work proceeds without further disruption.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
