By Ghazala Ahmad
Demolition of the agreed portions of Ujjain’s historic Shahi Mosque in Madhya Pradesh continued for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, with heavy police deployment and barricades surrounding the site.
After a portion of the mosque’s hanging slab was removed on Monday, demolition work has now moved to the minaret. The minaret has been covered with a green sheet as workers carry out the demolition amid tight security.
The demolition followed an agreement among the district administration and the Numainda Mosque Committee, under which the identified portions of the mosque would be removed, allowing the road-widening work to proceed.
For over two weeks, local Muslims staged an encampment inside the historic mosque to oppose the demolition order linked to preparations for the 2028 Simhastha Kumbh in Ujjain.
On Monday, after two days of massive vigil by Muslims to stop the bulldozing action, instances of violence broke out after reportedly attempting to advance to the premises of the historic Shahi Masjid to execute the demolition.
Meanwhile, Ujjain Police have arrested around 14 people and registered seven cases in three police stations related to the unrest. Police resorted to tear gas and lathi-charge to disperse the protesters who allegedly pelted stones at the forces.
More than 30 have been booked following protests over the demolition of parts of Shahi Masjid and reported clashes with police across the city on September 28, according to a police press note sent by the Police to Maktoob.
Ujjain Police in the FIRs allege that the incidents involved obstruction of police duties, stone-pelting, violations of orders issued by the district collector and the circulation of allegedly objectionable material on social media.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.