Muslims Tear Down Parts of Historic Mosque in India Amid Road-Widening Dispute

Muslims in the Indian city of Ujjain have begun dismantling parts of the historic Shahi Mosque themselves, with some weeping as they carried out the work.

The demolition followed a settlement requiring sections of the mosque to be removed to make way for a road expansion.

Those taking part chose to remove the affected sections by hand to prevent municipal bulldozers from carrying out the demolition.

The dispute over the removal has been accompanied by protests and confrontations with police, underscoring the tensions surrounding the road-widening project.

The work concerns parts of the historic mosque, rather than the demolition of the entire building.