Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh: After days of tension over the removal of a portion of Ujjain’s Shahi Mosque for road widening ahead of Simhasta 2028, the situation has returned to normal in the city. Late in the night on Sunday (September 27), the Muslim community agreed to remove a section of the mosque that was falling within a proposed road alignment. The development came after protests, stone-pelting and a police lathi charge briefly disrupted the area over the weekend.Simhasta is a once-in-twelve-years festival held in Ujjain that draws lakhs of pilgrims and visitors to bathe in the Shipra River and to pray. Preparations for the next Simhasta in 2028 are in full swing in Ujjain, with road widening and other development works underway across the city. According to the administration, the works are being carried out in accordance with the road widths prescribed under the master plan.It is understood that 15 religious sites are partially affected by these development works, while 62 such sites are to be demolished. These figures, however, have not been officially confirmed. A portion of the Shahi Mosque, said to be approximately 635 years old, was among the religious structures affected by the road widening project.The three-foot section of the Shahi Mosque in Ujjain being demolished on Monday, September 28. Photo: Qasim Barkati.Led by Ujjain City Qazi Atiqur Rahman, the Ujjain Muslim Representative Committee held discussions with the administration and proposed an alternative route. Shahi Mosque Committee member Imran said that discussions were held between the committee and the administration, after which it was decided that a portion of the road would be removed voluntarily by the Shahi Mosque.According to him, mosque volunteers worked to remove this section since Monday morning. Imran said that rumours temporarily disrupted the atmosphere, but the situation was later brought under control. He said that the city’s Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb would not be tarnished and that the Muslim community would continue to cooperate in the preparations for Simhasta 2028.Shahi Mosque Committee member Imran. Photo: Qasim Barkati.Rahman said that all communities in Ujjain city were cooperating in the preparation for Simhasta 2028, and the Muslim community would not lag behind. Citing the Simhasta fair in 2016, when a major thunderstorm had broken out in which at least seven visitors had died as their tents collapsed, he said that the Muslim community had opened up mosques and contributed to the aid effort.According to him, Simhasta was not the celebration of any one community, and that all communities should work together to preserve Ujjain’s shared culture.Ujjain City Qazi Atiqur Rahman. Photo: Qasim Barkati.As the administration and police were thrashing out an agreement over the issue of road alignment and removal of a part of the mosque, a crowd gathered in the Chhatri Chowk area following a rumour. A large number of people gathered there on Monday as well.The situation briefly became tense. According to police officials, some people attempted to throw stones, prompting police to use tear gas and lathi charge to control the crowd. According to Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma, a force of approximately 2,500 police personnel was deployed to handle the situation.Police deployed in the area where people had gathered against the demotion of the mosque. Photo: Qasim Barkati.Kumar said that some individuals have been identified and action has been taken against them. According to him, 5 accounts allegedly spreading inflammatory statements and false content on social media have also been identified and FIRs have been registered against them.Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh said peace has been restored in the city and development work for Simhasta 2028 is progressing at a rapid pace. He said that road widening is being carried out as per the width prescribed in the master plan, and people from different communities are cooperating in this effort.Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh. Photo: Qasim Barkati.Referring to the Shahi Mosque, the collector said that members of the community had been working to remove the portion of the structure that fell under the road’s alignment. He appealed to the public not to pay attention to rumours and said that action will be taken against content spreading misinformation on social media.Ujjain Police Superintendent Pradeep Sharma. Photo: Qasim Barkati.The administration also said that the police controlled the unpleasant situation that arose in the morning in a timely manner.Earlier on September 9, the Mosque Committee had filed a petition in the Ujjain Bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court, opposing the demolition of a portion of the Shahi Mosque. On dismissal of the plea, an appeal was filed before a division bench of the high court on September 28.According to Advocate Ashar Warsi, the court on September 28 ruled that only three feet of the Shahi Mosque would be removed, as the Indore municipality had committed in an affidavit.According to Warsi, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation and the Mosque Committee had arrived at an agreement that Floor Area Ratio (FAR) would be provided in exchange for the portion to be removed. The division bench took into account this agreement, holding that since efforts were underway to resolve the dispute through consensus.The terms of this agreement and the details related to FAR will need to be reviewed based on official documents.