Ujjain: A total of 9 persons have been arrested and remanded in custody before a session court in Ujjain until October 12 in connection with stone peleting and unrest which took place during the removal of some stones from the Shahi Masjid.
After Monday’s violence at Chhatri Chowk where opposition arose because of the removal of the part of the mosque and a concurrent project to widen the road, the Khara Kuan police has registered an FIR against 10 people. A total of nine people have been arrested so far and one is missing.
The nine arrested accused were rushed to the hospital at Charak Bhavan for treatment on Wednesday morning. They were then manufactured before a court which put them in judicial custody until October 12. Arrests and court actions were confirmed by local media reports.
It got under way when a group came together near Shahi Masjid to object to the demolition of the affected part. The crowd of people set about pelting stones and using tear gas, police tried to disperse the crowd through a lathi charge. Images of police and security forces were seen swarming the area in an effort to quell the chaos.
Among charges upheld in the police case are trespassing, disobedience and rioting, stone throwing and obstruction of officers in the performance of their duties. Against it charges of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 197, in addition to other sections have been reportedly filed.
The uproar over the mosque is related to a project to widen the road, taking place prior to the 2028 Simhastha festival. The Madhya Pradesh High Court at Indore had already heard the petitions filed regarding the de-recognition of the impugned section before it was settled by some mutual agreement.
The police have been keeping a check on the situation in Ujjain little by little after the violence on Monday. Officials are also cracking down on alleged stone throwers, disturbances and distribution of provocative or misleading materials on the subject of controversy.