Ujjain Demolition Drive: The Contrasting Response Of Muslim And Jain Communities

For the widening of roads in Madhya Pradesh's religious city of Ujjain, 18 places of worship including 13 Hindu temples, two Jain temples, two mosques and a mazar along with 32 houses are set to be demolished.

When the administration reached the site with the required forces on Thursday (23 May) morning at 5 am, Muslim women protested against the demolition of mosque parts by sitting on roads.

On the contrary, people from the Jain community themselves started removing the required portions.

Notably, all the concerned people were given prior notice. However, the Congress party in opposition had objected to the demolition drive.

The widening of the roads has been in progress since June 2023. The demolition order was given by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav before the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for Lok Sabha elections.

After protests from the Muslim community, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ashish Pathak, ADM Anukul Jain and ASP Jayant Rathore arrived at the spot with other police officers.

They convinced the protesters, after which the Muslim community people themselves agreed to remove the required portions, Live Hindustan reported

The project aims to widen the roads by 15 m between Kedi Gate and Imli Chauraha. An inspection before the demolition drive was done on Wednesday.