Portion of historic Ujjain mosque suffers damage during road-widening work

A portion of the historic Shahi Masjid at Chhatri Chowk in Ujjain sustained damage on Thursday while the local municipal corporation was carrying out work to remove a minaret as part of a road-widening project.

Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh said the affected portion of the mosque was damaged during the removal of the section that was coming in the way of the road-widening work.

According to the Collector, there was no loss of life and no one was injured or trapped during the incident. He also appealed to people not to pay heed to rumours regarding the situation.

The road-widening work is being undertaken across Ujjain as preparations are being made for the upcoming Simhastha 2028.

A member of the Shahi Masjid committee questioned the urgency shown by the administration during the removal process. The committee member said members of the community were themselves removing portions of the mosque, raising questions about why the administration proceeded with the action at that point.

The incident comes amid ongoing road-widening activities in different parts of Ujjain ahead of the major religious gathering. The damage to the mosque has also drawn attention because of the structure's historic significance.

The administration maintained that the affected section was being removed because it came in the way of the road-widening project.

Police have also registered multiple FIRs in connection with violence, alleged misinformation and provocative social-media posts related to the situation.

Authorities have urged people to rely on official information and avoid spreading rumours as the road-widening work continues.