Ujjain: Portion of mosque damaged during road-widening work days after unrest
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A portion of the Shahi Masjid in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain was damaged on Thursday when the municipal corporation was demolishing a minaret for a road-widening project, The Indian Express reported.
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The minaret, which is a tower traditionally used to give the daily call to prayer, fell on the dome and first floor of the mosque, reported Maktoob Media. No one was injured.
The administration’s plans to demolish portions of the mosque had led to violence near the structure on Monday, with the police firing tear gas at Muslim residents protesting against the notice. The demonstrators threw stones at police personnel during the clashes.
The road near the mosque is being widened ahead of the Hindu religious gathering called the Simhastha Kumbh Mela to be held in March 2028. The event is held every 12 years on the banks of the Kshipra River.
Video shows the moment the minaret of India’s 600-year-old Ujjain mosque collapsed during demolition work for a road-widening project for a Hindu pilgrimage, triggering despair among Muslims onlookers.
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Officials described it as an accident caused by faulty machinery. pic.twitter.com/2HmS4WpLdm
The Ujjain administration said that the damage to the mosque on Thursday was accidental, Maktoob Media reported.
Khaleeq ur Rahman, a Muslim religious leader in Ujjain, said the minaret fell after a strap on a crane being...