India’s Ujjain tense as mosque partially demolished for Hindu pilgrimage

Zeeshan Khan says he has not slept properly for three nights in a row.It began on Sunday when the 30-year-old joined hundreds of Muslims in central India’s Ujjain city for a night vigil outside a prominent mosque to prevent its partial demolition to widen the road for a Hindu pilgrimage festival held every 12 years.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Hindu order runs India’: Court declares another medieval mosque a templelist 2 of 4‘Future at stake’: India moves to demolish university Muslim leader foundedlist 3 of 4‘Naturally scared’: India’s Muslims denied public spaces for Eid prayerslist 4 of 4The Take: Why are India’s mosques turning into temple disputes?end of listUjjain is about 200km (124 miles) from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state, which has been governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2003, barring a brief 15-month rule by the opposition Congress.The Hindu nationalist BJP has been accused of a deliberate campaign to target Muslim religious structures – mosques, shrines, graveyards and madrasas (Islamic schools) – by claiming they were either illegally built or stood on former Hindu temples.Protesters gesture tow...