Ujjain Shahi Masjid Not Being Shifted, Only Road-Widening Portion Removed: Waqf Chief

Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board chairman Sanwar Patel has clarified the position on the dispute surrounding Ujjain’s Shahi Masjid, saying the mosque is neither being removed nor being shifted. According to him, only the portion of the mosque that falls within the scope of road widening is being removed, and that too by the mosque committee and members of the Muslim community themselves, with their consent.

Patel said the issue was discussed in a meeting between the administration and senior members of the Muslim community. In that meeting, he said, the city qazi and other prominent members of the community decided that the portion of the mosque coming in the way of the widening work would not be removed by the administration. Instead, the community and the mosque committee would remove that affected portion on their own.

According to Patel, action is being taken on the basis of that decision. He said the understanding reached between the administration and senior community members is being followed, and the same process will continue in the future as well.

Responding to what he described as attempts to create confusion over the issue, Sanwar Patel appealed that people should not be misled or provoked. He said some people were trying to create a misleading situation around the entire matter. Instead of provoking members of the community, he said, people should understand the agreement reached between the administration and senior members of the community.

Patel also responded to remarks made by Asaduddin Owaisi on the Shahi Masjid issue in Ujjain. He said Owaisi had linked the matter to the new Waqf law and had spoken about mosques being removed in Madhya Pradesh. Patel said that, according to him, the Shahi Masjid in Ujjain is not being removed.

The Waqf Board chairman said there is no basis for connecting this issue with the Waqf law. According to him, the law does not stop anyone from raising their voice for their rights or from approaching the court.

Patel further said that the matter had also reached the court. He said the committee connected with the mosque and the Panch Mochiyan Samaj had approached the court over the issue. However, later, keeping the interests of the city and the community in mind, an agreement was reached between the administration and senior members of the community.

Under that understanding, Patel said, it was decided that the portion of the mosque falling within the road widening area would be removed by the community itself. According to him, this affected portion includes some shops and a part of the minaret.

The Waqf Board chairman said the mosque is not being displaced, and the issue should not be presented as if the entire mosque is being demolished or shifted. He stressed that only the affected part that comes within the widening alignment is being dealt with, and that the decision was taken after discussions between the administration and community representatives.

Patel also issued a warning to those who, according to him, come from outside and try to provoke people from the community or spread wrong information. He said people should avoid misleading others and should not try to provoke them.

He said that if any person deliberately spreads wrong information and tries to disturb the atmosphere, the law will take its course. Such people, he said, may have to face legal action.

Sanwar Patel repeated that the process of removing the affected portion of the Shahi Masjid is being carried out in line with the agreement reached between the administration and senior members of the Muslim community. He said the administration is not removing the portion on its own, and the community and mosque committee are acting on the decision taken in the meeting.

He also pushed back against the claim that mosques are being removed in Madhya Pradesh in connection with the new Waqf law. Patel said the Ujjain case should not be linked to that law, because the matter concerns the road widening work and the portion of the mosque that falls within its scope.

According to Patel, the decision was taken after the issue was discussed, after the matter had gone to court, and after the mosque committee, the Panch Mochiyan Samaj, the city qazi and senior members of the community considered the interests of the city and the community. The affected part, including some shops and part of the minaret, is therefore being removed by the community itself, not as a displacement of the Shahi Masjid but as part of the agreed process related to road widening.