Madhya Pradesh, Khandwa: On July 3, 2026 while most men in Hazrat Khanshahwali Ward in Khandwa had gone for Friday prayers, a team of administrative officials arrived with a bulldozer and demolished a small bridge over a nullah connecting the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood to the Badgaon Bhila road.

The residents said that they were taken by surprise. No notice was given to the residents or to the ward councillor before the demolition, they alleged. However, the team that had arrived to carry out the action was carrying a copy of the notice issued for the removal of the alleged encroachment. 

The bridge, constructed in 2017 at a cost of around Rs 2 lakh, had been built following repeated demands from residents. It provided a shorter route to a private school across the nullah, where around 300-400 children from the locality study, as well as to the Medical College, B Ed College, Polytechnic, ITI and other parts of the city.

With the bridge gone, residents of Hazrat Khanshahwali Ward now have to travel around 1.5 km to reach the Badgaon Bhila road. They say there is no other alternative route.

The demolition has affected an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people living in the area. Estimates of the number of people who regularly used the bridge vary, with some residents putting the figure at around 3,000 a day.

Residents crossing the drain through the damaged bridge at considerable risk (Photo - Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, 101Reporters)

Bajrang Bahadur, City Magistrate and in-charge of the team that arrived to demolish the bridge, said he had an order to carry out the demolition but did not provide details about the reason for the action.

“I have the order to demolish it. The matter is under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, and they will be able to comment on it,” he said.

Former councillor Aseem Patel, during whose tenure the bridge was constructed, disputed the claim that it was illegal.

“It was not an illegal structure. It was built under the supervision of municipal engineers and officials,” he said, adding that Municipal Corporation funds had been used for its construction.

The demolition has also raised questions among residents because of the timing and manner in which it was carried out. They allege that the action was taken under pressure from right-wing Hindu groups.

Hazrat Khanshahwali Ward is largely inhabited by Muslims, while newly developed upscale residential colonies have come up on the other side of the nullah. Residents allege that some people living in these colonies had objected to people from the Muslim locality using the road through the area.

They claim that the administration acted in favour of the colony residents by removing the bridge. Residents also claimed the administration in the city has, on previous occasions, carried out actions at times when opposition is least likely, including when people are away for prayers or otherwise unable to gather and protest. They believe the timing of the demolition also raised concerns because it was carried out on a Friday, when many men from the locality were at the mosque.

A shorter road to school

Nine years ago, the Municipal Corporation had constructed the bridge after residents demanded a shorter and safer route to the private school located across the nullah.

Mehfooz Khan, a retired Public Works Department employee, said nearly 3,000 people used the bridge every day. “It was the only bridge across a one-kilometre stretch of the drain connecting the Badgaon Bhila road. It was the easiest route from Nagchun to Anand Nagar, the Medical College, B.Ed College, Polytechnic and ITI. Around 300 children also used it every day to reach a private school across the drain,” he said.

Retired PWD employee Mehfooz Khan says he cannot understand why the bridge was demolished (Photo - Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, 101Reporters)

“I don’t know what prompted someone to have the bridge demolished.” Khan, who is constructing a house near the road, said the easy access provided by the bridge was one of the reasons he had bought the land.

“The house is half-built now. We cannot simply move elsewhere,” he said.

For school-going children, the demolition has meant either a longer journey or additional expenses. Anisa Sheikh said around 400 schoolchildren and thousands of other residents used the bridge every day. “On Friday, while the men had gone for prayers, officials suddenly arrived and demolished the bridge without explaining anything. Many children have missed school because of the disruption,” she said.

Sonam Ali Javed Ali said her daughter attends the school under the Right to Education scheme. “Earlier, I used to walk her to school. Now auto-rickshaw drivers are asking for Rs 700-800 a month, which is almost equal to the school fees. We cannot afford that, so children are forced to cross the drain using the dangerous wooden plank,” she said.

Some families have continued to send their children across the nullah using a wooden plank placed over the damaged crossing. Residents said they had also tried placing wooden planks over the broken crossing to restore access, but those were subsequently removed.

Sonam Javed Ali says auto-rickshaw fares are now almost equal to her children's school expenses under the RTE scheme (Photo - Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, 101Reporters)

Lost work due to longer routes

The loss of the bridge has affected more than school commutes. Rubina Sheikh said the bridge was the main access route for doctors, LPG cylinder deliveries and school transport. “With the only bridge connecting us to the Badgaon Bhila road gone, we have become cut off. Every trip now requires travelling an extra 1.5-2 km,” she said.

For residents who work in homes and establishments across the nullah, the additional distance has translated directly into lost time and income. Nasreen Shah, who works as a domestic worker in homes across the drain, said the demolition had affected her livelihood. “Earlier, I could reach work in half an hour. Now commuting itself takes one to one-and-a-half hours. I have lost several jobs because of this. My only demand is that the bridge should be rebuilt,” she said.

Residents, along with Ward No 36 councillor Shabbir Qadri and Municipal Corporation Leader of the Opposition Mullu Rathore, submitted a memorandum during the district collector's public grievance hearing, seeking action on the issue. They say no action has been taken so far.

Qadri, who was seen confronting municipal officials after the demolition, said the matter was now with the district administration. “We have strongly protested on behalf of the residents. The administration is investigating the issue, although such an inquiry should have been conducted before demolishing the bridge,” he said.

Women from the affected locality gathered to protest after the bridge was demolished (Photo - Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, 101Reporters)

Rathore questioned the Municipal Corporation’s claim that the bridge was illegal. “If the Municipal Corporation did not fund this bridge, then prove it. Bring the municipal officials with the records. If they state that it was built illegally, we will not oppose the action. But if it was built with municipal funds for public convenience, how can it suddenly be declared illegal?” he said.

Cover Image - Residents crossing the drain through the damaged bridge at considerable risk (Photo - Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, 101Reporters)