Security has been tightened in central Delhi’s Turkman Gate area following clashes and stone pelting that erupted during a court-mandated anti-encroachment drive earlier this week, police said on Thursday.
Police and paramilitary personnel continue to be deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Senior officers are monitoring the situation, officials said, adding that the locality is currently calm.
The violence broke out early Wednesday when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) began removing alleged encroachments near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque and an adjoining graveyard in the Ramlila Maidan area, opposite Turkman Gate, in compliance with directions from the Delhi High Court.
According to police, tensions escalated after a group of residents allegedly attacked civic officials and police personnel with stones, leading to chaos in the neighbourhood. Five police personnel were injured in the clashes, forcing security forces to use tear gas to disperse the crowd and regain control.
Four men have been arrested in connection with the incident, while a juvenile has been apprehended. An FIR has been registered, and investigators are examining CCTV footage and videos circulating on social media to identify others involved, police said.
Sources said the unrest was triggered by a social media post that falsely claimed the mosque was being demolished, fuelling panic and anger among residents.
Five Police Personnels Injured
At least five police personnel were injured after violence erupted during an anti-encroachment operation near a mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan in the early hours of Wednesday.
Tensions flared as teams from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), accompanied by police, moved to dismantle alleged illegal constructions on land adjacent to the Syed Faiz Elahi mosque and graveyard in the Turkman Gate area. The operation, involving nearly 300 civic officials and workers, was carried out in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court.
According to the police, resistance from a gathered crowd escalated into stone-pelting, prompting security forces to intervene. Five people have been detained in connection with the incident, while authorities are scrutinising more than 100 video clips to identify additional individuals allegedly involved in the violence. Separate cases have been registered based on complaints lodged by injured police personnel and MCD staff.
Civic officials said heavy machinery, including around 30 bulldozers and 50 dump trucks, was deployed to clear the site of unauthorised structures.
“About 25-30 people threw stones at police teams, in which five policemen sustained minor injuries. We had to use tear gas to control the situation. There was a banquet hall and a dispensary, which have been demolished. The drive was conducted in the night, keeping in mind that people should not face any difficulty,” senior police officer Nidhin Valsan said as reported by the PTI and updated by the NDTV.
“We will take action against those who were involved in stone pelting. The situation is 100 per cent under control here,” he added.
The demolition drive follows a November 2025 order of the Delhi High Court, which had granted a three-month window to the MCD and the Public Works Department (PWD) to remove encroachments spanning nearly 38,940 square feet at the Ramlila Ground near Turkman Gate.
