Ujjain police arrest 14 after mosque demolition clashes and seek AI-video creators

Police in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, have arrested 14 people and booked more than 30 in connection with clashes over the removal of part of a mosque, officials said. The police are also searching for five social media content creators who were booked over allegedly provocative videos generated with artificial intelligence. Investigators believe the videos helped prompt people to march to the Shahi Masjid and clash with police.

The violence began on Monday morning when a group of locals tried to reach the mosque to stop demolition work. The work involved removing a three-foot portion of the structure for a road-widening project linked to preparations for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028. Officials said members of the mosque committee were carrying out the work under an agreement reached with the local administration the previous night.

Police have registered eight cases, including five First Information Reports against the content creators. Ujjain Additional Superintendent of Police Alok Sharma said teams were trying to trace suspects who remained at large. He said police were also monitoring social media for material that could provoke further unrest.

According to police, the videos were later removed from social media but had spread a rumour that the entire mosque was being demolished using bulldozers and excavators. Another senior officer said some videos urged people to gather at the mosque. The incident occurred as Ujjain undertakes road-widening works linked to the Simhastha preparations and Master Plan 2035.

The report said residential, commercial and religious structures, including temples, have been removed or marked for removal in different projects. Police said some detained people were released after questioning. The source material did not provide details of the charges against individual suspects or the condition of anyone injured in the clashes.