Turkman Gate bulldozer action: Stone pelted on police and MCD team in Delhi during removal of encroachments near mosque; tear gas shells fired, banquet hall, shops razed
Turkman Gate bulldozer action: Late on the night of January 6th, around 1 AM, encroachments were removed from land adjacent to Turkman Gate mosque and cemetery near Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. Acting on orders from the Delhi High Court, the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) used 17 bulldozers to demolish a banquet hall, a diagnostic center, and shops that had been built on the land.
When the operation was being carried out near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque at Turkman Gate, a crowd pelted stones at the workers and police. The crowd broke through barricades to try and stop the demolition, but the police dispersed them using tear gas.
Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range, Madhur Verma, said that the situation is under control. The entire area has been divided into nine zones, with an ADCP-level officer in charge of each zone. Adequate police force has been deployed in sensitive areas. Those who threw stones will be identified through video footage.
In November, the Delhi High Court declared the portion of land near the mosque illegal and gave the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) three months to remove the encroachment.
According to the order, there was illegal encroachment on approximately 39,000 square meters of land near the mosque.
However, the mosque committee was claiming ownership of the land and had filed a petition against the order in the Delhi High Court.
DCP Nidhin Valsan said that the MCD acted on the orders of the Delhi High Court, and the operation is still ongoing. Four to five officers sustained minor injuries in the stone-pelting incident.