Uproar In Morning, Tension At Noon, Uneasy Calm By Evening In MP’s Ujjain | FP photo
Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): An uneasy calm prevailed in Chhatri Chowk late on Monday as removal of portions of the Shahi Masjid continued amid tight security.
Members of the Muslim community began removing the affected portion themselves under an agreement with the administration over road widening for Simhastha 2028. Discussions also covered providing about three feet of space for the road, removing affected shops, relocating the mosque’s large minaret and finding alternative space for the shops.
Hours after stone-pelting broke out near the Shahi Masjid, Chhatri Chowk remained quiet. Stones had been cleared from the road, shops were shut and police remained deployed across the area. Debris lay outside the mosque, where community members used chisels and hammers to remove walls and metal grilles from the affected section.
Police reached Chhatri Chowk early on Monday and erected barricades. Workers carrying chisels and hammers entered the mosque at about 7.30 am and removal work began at about 8.15 am. Reports circulating on social media that a JCB machine was being used to demolish the mosque are believed to have drawn people to nearby Tanki Chowk. By about 9.15 am, around 100 people had gathered there and were chanting against the demolition.
At about 9.45 am, people tried to break through the barricades and stones were thrown. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Stone-pelting broke out again at about 10.30 am and in the afternoon. During the third incident, police fired tear gas and lathi-charged the crowd. Police brought the situation under control by about 12.30 pm and work at the mosque resumed.
The tension spread through Chhatri Chowk and nearby markets. Traders downed shutters, customers stayed away and normally busy streets were largely deserted by afternoon.
A cloth trader in Chhatri Chowk said he closed his shop after learning that the situation had deteriorated. “Road widening is necessary, but arrangements should also be made so that the market and businesses are not affected during the work”.
Another trader in Sarafa Bazaar said police deployment and crowds had effectively blocked access, causing customers to turn back during the festive season.
Businesses in Chhatri Chowk, Sarafa Bazaar, Dhaba Road, Lakherwadi, Satigate, Mochiwada, Mirza Naim Beg Marg and Tanki Chowk were among those affected by the closures.
The widening is part of preparations for Simhastha 2028. The road from Koyla Phatak towards Gopal Mandir is being widened from 12 to 15 metres. Eight religious structures between Koyla Phatak and Kanthal Chowk had already been removed and relocated without dispute.
A total of 323 houses and 15 religious structures fall within the wider project area. According to the administration, 12 of the religious structures have now been removed.
At Chhatri Chowk, a section of the Shahi Masjid measuring about 4.5 by 9 feet falls within the planned road width. Members of the Muslim community had objected to its removal, arguing that the road could instead be widened on the opposite side by taking part of a hotel.
They say the mosque is 636 years old. Documents cited in the account establish that it is more than 100 years old.
Other road-widening works may also face objections. The Budhwariya-KD Gate route, including the stretch from Khajur Wali Mosque to Ganesh Chowk, is planned to be widened to 15 metres. Khajur Wali Mosque stands in the middle of the road.
In the KD Gate area, members of the Muslim community opposed an earlier attempt to remove portions of Madina Mosque and Jamiyatul Quresh Kassaban Mosque when officials arrived with a JCB machine about 27 days ago.
At about 3 pm on Monday, the High Court disposed of a petition filed by the Shahi Masjid committee.
