New Delhi: An anti encroachment drive near a mosque and graveyard at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan escalated into violence early Wednesday after a group of locals clashed with police and municipal officials carrying out a court mandated demolition. The operation was conducted on land adjoining the Syed Faiz Elahi mosque near Turkman Gate and resulted in injuries to at least five police personnel.
The demolition followed a November order of the Delhi High Court directing authorities to clear nearly 39,000 square feet of encroached land at the Ramlila Ground. The area included portions of a road, footpath, parking space, a banquet hall and a private diagnostic centre. Acting on the directive, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi declared in December that all structures beyond the 0.195 acre plot housing the mosque were unauthorised and liable for removal.
Early Wednesday, around 300 civic officials and workers arrived at the site with heavy machinery, including bulldozers and dump trucks, accompanied by police teams. As demolition work began, around 25 to 30 individuals allegedly began pelting stones, prompting police to use tear gas to disperse the crowd. Despite the disruption, officials managed to demolish a dispensary and a banquet hall.
The dispute over the land remains legally contested. The mosque’s managing committee has challenged the demolition order, claiming the land is a notified waqf property governed by the Waqf Act. The committee maintains that it has been paying lease rent and does not oppose the removal of encroachments, except for concerns related to the graveyard situated on the site. Authorities, however, have stated that the original lease granted in 1940 covered only the mosque structure and not the surrounding land.
Tensions had been building in recent days. On January 4, officials faced protests while marking the encroached area, leading to increased police deployment. A day before the demolition, the High Court sought responses from multiple government bodies and scheduled the matter for further hearing in April.
Following the violence, five people were detained and a case registered based on statements from injured personnel and municipal workers. Police have said the area is now under control and further action will follow against those involved in the unrest.
Sorry, there was a YouTube error.
