Behind Ujjain clash, crowd ‘misguided’ by AI videos showing entire mosque being razed

Following clashes in Ujjain, over the removal of a portion of the Shahi Masjid that falls along a road being widened ahead of the 2028 Simhastha, Madhya Pradesh Police on Monday said the crowd was mobilised by a faction of the mosque committee disgruntled by the demolition. Some of its younger members were misguided by AI-generated videos that falsely showed the structure being demolished, police added.

The demolition, which was eventually carried out by members of the Muslim community itself, had been greenlit by the MP High Court on September 9.

The confrontation followed a tense night outside the Shahi Masjid, where thousands had gathered after the administration prepared to remove the portion of the mosque falling within the proposed road-widening project.

Thousands of residents formed a human chain around the mosque on Sunday night even as police mobilised 2,500 personnel from local police stations and Rapid Action Force units.

Security personnel keep a vigil following stone-pelting incidents during protests against the proposed removal of a portion of the ‘Shahi Masjid’ for road widening (PTI)

At night, negotiations made headway, and City Qazi Khalil Qureshi Rehman said the matter had been resolved through mutual agreement.

But as authorities gathered on Monday morning, a crowd turned violent and stones were pelted at security personnel. Police responded with tear gas shells and lathicharge.

By Monday afternoon, however, the Madhya Pradesh High Court, hearing a writ appeal against its order for partial demolition, was informed that the Muslim side had agreed to cooperate with the authorities, and disposed of the petition.

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By evening, mosque committee members could be seen demolishing the structures. One of them, Mohammad Yunus, said, “This is my third Simhastha. We serve the devotees poha and tea. Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb is in our culture. We are ready to cooperate with the police.”

Police said rumours circulating on social media had led some people to believe that the entire mosque was going to be demolished.

Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma told The Indian Express, “One of these videos included a JCB demolishing the entire mosque, which was completely false.”

The police are now examining not only the accounts that originally uploaded the material but also people who circulated it. Sharma said investigators are looking at “several social media events” over the past few days which spread the rumours.

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“We have registered five FIRs against as many social media pages or influencers. The content was purely based on rumours and was aggressive in nature. We are also identifying people who shared this content over and over again,” Sharma said.

The investigation has so far resulted in 15 people being arrested. Police have also reported more than 100 Instagram accounts and registered an FIR on the complaint of Ujjain City Qazi Rehman.

Internal factions

Sharma also said police had anticipated a reaction from a section of the mosque committee after monitoring the situation.

“Every organisation has dissatisfied factions and we anticipated that there would be a reaction to this,” Sharma said.

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The history of the Shahi Masjid’s present property stretches back at least to the period of the erstwhile Gwalior State. The mosque complex comprises a prayer hall, ablution facilities, a reported 120-foot minaret and the Mazhar Chouk Shahi at the front facing the road.

The demolition row has been accompanied by a bitter fight over who has the authority to represent the mosque and administer its Waqf property.

When the Madhya Pradesh High Court okayed the partial demolition, two factions had approached it, each claiming an interest in the mosque and its administration.

One petition was filed by the Shahi Masjid Waqf Panchayat Mochiyaan through its authorised representative Ashfaq Ahmad and others, while the connected petition was filed by the Shahi Masjid Waqf Panch Mochiyan through its president Arshan Hussain. The two sides were dealing with the same municipal notices even as they disputed who had the authority to speak for the mosque.