Bhopal: Basant Panchami prayers by Hindus and Friday namaz by Muslims were conducted peacefully on Friday at the disputed Bhojshala Temple–Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar town of western Madhya Pradesh, following a Supreme Court directive permitting both communities to pray at separate locations within the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument.
Given the rare and sensitive coincidence of Basant Panchami falling on a Friday, the authorities put in place extensive security measures across the communally sensitive town.
Thousands of Hindu devotees participated in large processions and offered prayers from sunrise to sunset at the disputed site, which Hindus believe to be an 11th-century temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) and attributed to Paramara ruler Raja Bhoja.
According to a statement issued by the Dhar district administration, arrangements were made strictly in line with the Supreme Court’s January 22 order. In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav commended the local administration for ensuring compliance with the apex court’s directions, stating that both Basant Panchami prayers and Friday namaz were carried out peacefully and without disruption at separate locations within the same premises, TNIE reported.
A senior state police officer stationed in Dhar said that between 15 and 17 Muslim men were escorted in a protected anti-riot vehicle to the ASI monument, where they offered Friday prayers at the designated spot between 1 pm and 3 pm, as permitted by the court.
However, a group of around 15 to 20 Muslim men, led by a person identifying himself as Imran Khan from Gulmohar Colony in Dhar, alleged in a video statement that the administration had arranged what he described as a “dummy namaz” by bringing in people from outside the town. Khan claimed that on Thursday night, local officials had escorted the group to a location near the mosque complex with assurances that they would be safely taken inside to offer namaz during the court-approved time window.
He further alleged that despite being kept under police watch, the group was not taken into the premises as promised. According to him, as the two-hour prayer window neared its end, officials informed them that they were free to return home and offer prayers elsewhere. He alleged that the administration’s claim of having facilitated namaz inside the complex was misleading and that those who prayed there were brought in from outside Dhar.
Responding to these allegations, Dhar District Collector Priyank Mishra declined to comment directly, stating instead that 15 to 17 Muslim men had offered symbolic prayers at the exclusive location earmarked for them within the complex between 1 pm and 3 pm, with community consent and in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order.
Leaders of Hindu organisations, including Gopal Sharma and Ashok Jain, who have long campaigned for the Bhojshala temple cause, expressed gratitude to the administration and the state government for facilitating uninterrupted Basant Panchami prayers throughout the day, as permitted by the court.
On Thursday, while hearing a plea filed by the Hindu Front for Justice seeking exclusive and uninterrupted prayer rights for Hindus on Basant Panchami, the Supreme Court allowed Hindu prayers from sunrise to sunset at a separate location within the complex. The court also permitted Muslims to offer Friday namaz at a different, exclusive space between 1 pm and 3 pm.
The apex court further directed the administration to ensure separate entry and exit routes for both communities at the ASI-protected site. In response, authorities created multiple access points for Hindu devotees and a distinct passage for the limited group of Muslims allowed to offer Friday prayers.
The coincidence of Basant Panchami and Friday namaz occurred for the first time in a decade. Similar overlaps in 2013 and 2016 had earlier led to violent clashes involving saffron group activists and the police.