Street Vendors Assaulted in Ujjain, Outrage Over Municipal “Anti-Encroachment” Brutality

Ujjain, 9 February 2026: Public anger is simmering in the religious city of Ujjain over alleged brutality by the Ujjain Municipal Corporation’s (UMC) anti-encroachment squad. A viral video showing the squad in-charge and municipal staff assaulting petty traders, women, and even a differently-abled person in the Narsingh Ghat area has sparked widespread outrage.On Wednesday, various Hindutva organisations, including MP Yuva Shiv Sena Gau Raksha Nyas and Sarva Kalyan Bajrang Dal, staged a strong protest at the site and issued a seven-day ultimatum to the administration. Manish Singh Chauhan, Founder and National President of MP Yuva Shiv Sena Gau Raksha Nyas, stated that poor street vendors had been peacefully protesting for the past four months in the Jhalariya Math area (Narsingh Ghat road), demanding the right to dignified livelihood. When the UMC squad in-charge Monu Thanwar and his associates began forcibly seizing their goods, protesters like Sanjay Singh Chauhan, Arjun Kahar, Kaluram Chauhan, and women present were subjected to inhuman treatment.Protesting the incident, the Hindutva organisations submitted a memorandum to the Kotwali CSP, addressed to the District Superintendent of Police, on Wednesday afternoon. While they planned to burn an effigy, it was postponed after senior police officers assured impartial action. Their demands include immediate FIR against squad in-charge Monu Thanwar, action against UMC staff who filed false reports, dismissal of guilty employees, and safety and justice for the victimized vendors.Warning the administration, Manish Singh Chauhan said, “A person running a cart to feed himself is not a criminal. If women and the differently-abled are not safe in the city of Mahakal, it is a systemic failure. This fight is not against one employee, but against the mentality that considers crushing the poor its right. If no action is taken in 7 days, a massive sit-in will be held at the UMC headquarters.”The National Hawkers Federation strongly condemns this incident and stands in solidarity with the affected vendors. We demand immediate intervention by the government and administration to secure the right to a dignified livelihood for street vendors in the city.