New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) The Delhi Police have detained ten individuals and registered an FIR following violent clashes that erupted during a demolition drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid at Turkman Gate in the early hours of Wednesday.
The operation was conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), aimed to remove an illegal structure on a 400-square-yard encroached area belonging to the Ram Lila Ground, in compliance with a Delhi High Court order.
Officials stated that a mob pelted stones and bricks at police and MCD teams during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Videos from the scene showed individuals attacking police personnel. In response, police resorted to lathi charge and fired tear gas shells to restore law and order. The encroached area was subsequently cleared.
A statement from Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Madhur Verma, IPS, detailed the police’s version of events. It stated that comprehensive law and order measures were put in place for the demolition, with the area divided into nine zones, each supervised by a senior officer. Coordination meetings were held beforehand with local stakeholders, including the Aman Committee, to maintain peace.
The statement noted that during the demolition, a few miscreants attempted to create a disturbance by indulging in stone pelting. The situation was promptly controlled through measured and minimal use of force, ensuring normalcy was restored without escalation. Delhi Police affirmed its commitment to implementing judicial directions lawfully and sensitively while maintaining public order.
Senior police officials identified three of those detained as Mohd Arib (25), Mohd Kaif (23), and Mohd Kashif (25), all residents of Turkman Gate. “We are identifying other stone pelters from the video images and shall arrest them too,” a senior official said. The First Information Report has been lodged under sections 221, 132, 121, 191(2), 191(3), 223(A), 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and section 3 of the PDPP Act-1984. The investigation is ongoing.
