Ujjain: A fresh spell of stone-pelting targeted the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain on Monday amid protests against the partial demolition of the Shahi Masjid.
Police responded with a lathi-charge and tear gas to control the situation. Similar incidents of stone-pelting and tear gas deployment had already taken place earlier in the morning, during which a female Station House Officer (SHO) was injured.
Police have registered an FIR against 10 people in connection with the unrest. Five of them are social media influencers accused of inflaming the situation; their arrests have not yet been confirmed.
However, police sources said, five individuals from outside the area have been taken into custody.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that members of the Muslim community themselves began removing the disputed portion of the mosque. The section marked for demolition measures approximately 9 feet in length and 4 feet in width.
A related hearing is scheduled for Monday before the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The controversy stems from ongoing road-widening work for Simhastha 2028 preparations. Authorities are expanding a 900-metre stretch from Kanthal Square to Gopal Mandir by 15 metres to ease traffic for the expected large gathering of pilgrims.
A portion of the Shahi Masjid — approximately 9 feet long and 4 feet wide — falls within the alignment and is marked for removal. The mosque management has claimed the structure is more than 100 years old, citing historical documents from the Scindia era and later records.
On Monday morning, stone-pelting targeted police personnel near the mosque. Police fired tear gas shells — more than a dozen and a half, according to earlier accounts — and used force to disperse the crowd.
During efforts to move a group of protesting women, a female police officer sustained injuries. Senior officials, including IG Rakesh Gupta, Commissioner Ashish Singh, DIG Navneet Bhasen, Collector Roshan Kumar Singh and SP Pradeep Sharma, reached the spot as tension persisted.
To prevent further gatherings, police sealed entry to nearby lanes, restricting access to security personnel only.
Muslim women had earlier blocked a road at Naka No. 5 in protest, disrupting traffic until police intervened. The portion was covered with green netting as the work progressed.
The administration has maintained a heavy police presence drawn from surrounding stations. The situation remained sensitive through the morning, with authorities focused on preventing escalation while the partial demolition proceeded under community involvement.
The road project forms part of larger infrastructure upgrades across Ujjain ahead of Simhastha 2028. The Shahi Masjid in Ujjain is a historic mosque whose precise age is debated. Some community accounts and reports cite its date as 1390, making it over six centuries old and one of the older Islamic religious sites in the city, located near the Mahakaleshwar Temple area and the Kshipra River. Mosque management, however, has primarily cited records showing it is more than 100 years old.
(IANS)
