Muslims Tear Down Parts of Historic Mosque in India After Road-Widening Settlement

Muslims in the Indian city of Ujjain have begun dismantling part of the historic Shahi Mosque themselves, some in tears, following a settlement requiring sections of the building to be removed for a road-widening project.

Those carrying out the demolition chose to do the work by hand rather than leave it to municipal bulldozers.

The settlement provided for the removal of parts of the mosque, not the demolition of the entire building, to make room for the wider road.

The dispute has been marked by protests and confrontations with police. The scenes of Muslims dismantling their own mosque underscored the distress surrounding the removal of sections of the historic site.