IAMC Condemns Demolition of Historic Mosque in India’s Ujjain and Crackdown on Muslim Protesters
WASHINGTON, DC — September 29, 2026
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) strongly condemns the partial demolition of a 14th-century-old Shahi Masjid in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, and the police crackdown on Muslim residents who had gathered to protect it.
Police fired tear gas and baton-charged crowds outside the mosque on September 28. More than 20 people have been detained and social media users are facing prosecution over their posts critical of the government. Local administration has also deployed more than 2,500 police personnel in the area to curb further protests by the locals.
Authorities marked part of the mosque, including its prayer hall and minaret, for removal to widen a road ahead of a major Hindu festival in 2028, rejecting the community’s proposal for an alternative route. After a three-night vigil, residents agreed to remove a smaller section themselves. They say bulldozers arrived anyway, forcing them to tear down part of their own mosque by hand.
“It is part of a growing pattern in which Muslim places of worship, religious institutions and heritage sites are increasingly being threatened, demolished or subjected to state action under the pretext of encroachment, development or infrastructure projects,” said Mohammed Jawad, President of IAMC. “The destruction of religious spaces is painfully reminiscent of the Nazi regime’s systematic destruction of synagogues and Jewish places of worship. History has shown the grave consequences when a state permits the erasure of a community’s religious and cultural presence.”
Ujjain follows a pattern seen in Prayagraj, where a 16th-century Shahi Masjid was razed for road widening in 2023, and in Sambhal, where a mosque dispute left at least four Muslims dead in 2024.
The pattern has gathered pace over the past two years, with Muslim religious sites increasingly targeted in demolition drives, road-widening projects, alleged encroachment actions and disputes over their legal status. In Uttarakhand alone, a civil-society monitoring report has documented the demolition of numerous Muslim religious structures and described thousands of Muslim religious structures as having been affected by the state’s broader campaign in recent years.
IAMC calls on the Madhya Pradesh government to halt further demolition, order an independent inquiry into the police action, and drop cases against those prosecuted for peaceful protests..
IAMC also calls on the U.S. Department of State to raise the protection of Muslim places of worship and religious heritage in its engagement with the Government of India and urges UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief and cultural rights to examine the growing pattern of demolitions and threats against Muslim religious and heritage sites in India. IAMC further calls on UNESCO and relevant international heritage bodies to assess the implications of such demolitions for the preservation of India’s religious and architectural heritage.
