Basant Panchami puja began early Friday at the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district amid tight security, as large numbers of devotees gathered at the disputed site.
Authorities deployed around 8,000 police and paramilitary personnel across Dhar to prevent any law and order issues, as the Hindu festival coincided with Friday prayers of the Muslim community.
The Supreme Court on Thursday laid down a time-sharing arrangement to avoid communal tension. As per the order, Hindus were allowed to perform prayers at the site from sunrise to sunset, while Muslims were permitted to offer namaz between 1 pm and 3 pm at alternative locations.
Devotees started arriving at the complex at sunrise. The site was decorated with saffron flags and flowers. Members of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti installed an idol of Goddess Saraswati, also known as Maa Vagdevi, and began the rituals with Vedic chants. A day-long ‘Akhand Puja’ was also conducted with offerings made in the havan kund.
District Magistrate Priyank Mishra said the situation remained peaceful. “The Hindu community’s prayers are going on smoothly under tight security. We have made arrangements so that both Hindu and Muslim prayers can take place without any disturbance,” he said.
Mishra added that alternative arrangements had been made for namaz, though he did not specify how many people were expected to participate.
Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi said extensive security measures were in place across the city. “The entire city has been mapped and sensitive areas identified. The complex has been divided into six sectors, and the city into seven zones. Every street is under watch,” he said.
He added that drones and CCTV cameras were being used for surveillance and that social media platforms were also being monitored to prevent the spread of provocative content.
As the day progressed, the number of Hindu devotees continued to rise. Ashok Jain, a patron of the Bhoj Utsav Samiti, expressed happiness over the arrangements. “We are very pleased. We made elaborate preparations for Basant Panchami. We thank the Supreme Court for allowing the Akhand Puja at Bhojshala,” he said, adding that namaz would not be held at the puja site as separate arrangements had been made.
Sarika Sharma, who visited the complex with her family, said the day was special for them. “We are happy to have darshan of Goddess Saraswati on Basant Panchami. We hope there will be a permanent solution to the Bhojshala issue soon,” she said.
The site is claimed by Hindus as a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while Muslims identify it as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The complex is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.
An ASI order issued on April 7, 2003, allows Hindus to worship at the site on Tuesdays, while Muslims are permitted to offer prayers on Fridays.
