Celebrations break out in heavily fortified Dhar town soon after verdict

Indore: Sweets were distributed, colours flew in the air, and Hindu chants rang out in front of the heavily fortified Bhojshala complex in Dhar on Friday afternoon — moments after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court delivered its verdict on the long-disputed monument, declaring it a “centre of learning and a temple of Goddess Saraswati”.

Members of the Bhojshala Bachao Samiti broke into spontaneous celebrations outside the complex and Lalbagh area, describing the ruling as “historic”. In Indore, outside the HC premises, people gathered near the gates and distributed sweets as news of the verdict spread.

Ashish Goyal, Dhar district president of the Hindu Front for Justice (HFJ), was emphatic in his response. “This is a big win for Sanatan dharma. People of Dhar, the Hindu community, had been fighting for rights to worship at Bhojshala for several decades. This is the next historic verdict after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi judgment,” he said.

Even as celebrations unfolded, Goyal urged restraint. Given Dhar’s sensitivity as a town — with over 1,200 police personnel deployed ahead of the verdict — he appealed to people to refrain from taking out rallies.

The district administration, clearly anticipating a charged atmosphere, had moved swiftly. Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS across the Dhar district. In an official video statement, Meena made a measured appeal to residents: “All the respected citizens of Dhar district are appealed to maintain peace, harmony and mutual brotherhood regarding the decision of the court regarding the protected monument in the district. Don’t pay heed to rumours and follow the instructions issued by the administration.”

As Friday evening settled over Dhar, the security cordon held and the town remained tense but calm.