In Ujjain, a city in Madhya
Pradesh, India, hundreds of Muslims gathered inside and outside a more
than 600-year-old historic royal mosque to protest a proposal to demolish part
of the mosque. According
to Indian media reports, a portion of the historic mosque has been affected by
a road-widening project being carried out as part of preparations for the Simhastha
2028 religious festival. Local authorities say widening the road is
necessary to improve traffic flow and public movement, as millions of pilgrims
are expected to visit the area during the major religious gathering. Mosque administrators and
local Muslim residents have objected to the proposed action and launched a
protest. Participants said they would remain at the site in large numbers to
protect the historic mosque and would continue their protest peacefully.
According to local reports,
additional police and Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed around
the mosque, with security tightened in the area because of the protest. Some
reports also said that a large number of people were present inside the mosque. The mosque’s imam, Muhammad
Ibrahim, said the mosque was built in 1390 and is considered a
historic religious site approximately 636 years old. He expressed concern that
even minor alterations to the mosque’s structure could affect the stability of
the building. The Madhya
Pradesh High Court rejected petitions seeking protection of the mosque
in a ruling issued on September 9.
The case before the court
concerned not the demolition of the entire mosque, but the removal of a portion
that falls within the proposed road-widening area. In its ruling, the court
also considered the administration’s arguments regarding road expansion,
traffic management and public safety during Simhastha 2028. According to reports on the court proceedings,
the plan to widen the road to 15 meters would affect approximately 39.33
square meters of the Royal Mosque. The court also noted that portions
of other religious structures would be affected by the same road-widening
project. Meanwhile, Muslims
protesting to protect the mosque are demanding that the historic place of
worship be exempted from the road-expansion plan. Road widening and reconstruction work is
underway in Ujjain as part of preparations for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela
in 2028, when a large number of pilgrims are expected to visit the
city.