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Anti-encroachment drive in Delhi near mosque leads to clashes, leaving 5 police personnel injured. Read about the incident and the ongoing situation.
Demolition of an alleged illegal encroachments by a mosque and graveyard at Turkman Gate in New Delhi on January 07, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
New Delhi, January 7, 2026 —
A major anti-encroachment operation carried out near the Syed Faiz Elahi Mosque in central Delhi’s Turkman Gate-Ramlila Maidan area early Wednesday turned violent, resulting in at least five Delhi Police personnel sustaining injuries and triggering tense clashes between security forces and sections of the local population.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had launched the drive in compliance with a Delhi High Court order to remove alleged unauthorized encroachments from land adjoining the mosque and a nearby graveyard. However, the situation quickly devolved into unrest and confrontation, prompting the police to use crowd-control measures including tear gas.
This incident underscores the continuing challenges faced by civic authorities in balancing court-mandated enforcement actions with peace and public order in densely populated, sensitive urban areas. Below is a detailed account of how the operation unfolded, reactions from officials and residents, and the broader context of encroachment enforcement in the national capital.
Prelude: Court Order and Enforcement Plans
The anti-encroachment action at Ramlila Maidan was not a spontaneous move but the culmination of legal direction and administrative planning.
In November 2025, the Delhi High Court granted civic agencies — primarily the MCD and the Public Works Department (PWD) — a period of three months to clear approximately 38,940 square feet of encroachments near the Turkman Gate area. Authorities were instructed to reclaim the public land and remove structures that had grown over years without legal sanction.
The encroached land included portions of footpaths and roadways, as well as privately built constructions such as a banquet hall, a diagnostic centre, and a dispensary near the mosque site. These structures, according to officials, were declared unauthorized after no valid ownership documentation was produced by the managing parties or the Delhi Waqf Board.
Given the sensitivity of the location — adjacent to the historic Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque — authorities held multiple coordination meetings with local community stakeholders, peace committees such as the Aman Committee, and law enforcement teams to ensure a smooth conduct of the demolition and minimize conflict.
Security arrangements were elaborate: the police divided the area into nine operational zones, each under senior supervisory officers, and deployed a large contingent of forces, including the Rapid Action Force, to maintain order.
Early Morning Operation and First Clashes
The action began in the early hours of January 7, with MCD teams — backed by heavy machinery including 30 bulldozers and 17 JCBs — entering the site to begin demolition of the encroached structures.
Officials chose the early morning timing intending to reduce public inconvenience and avoid large crowds, a common administrative practice during such operations.
However, as news spread and more local residents arrived at the site, tensions escalated. Around 100–150 people gathered near the mosque precincts — some reportedly raising slogans and protesting the demolition decision.
According to police officials, a small but significant section of the crowd began to pel stones and glass bottles at the police and civic officials carrying out the demolition. “About 25 to 30 people were actively pelting stones at police teams,” senior officer Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan told reporters.
The sudden unruly conduct forced the police to resort to tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and restore control.
Injuries to Police Personnel
During these clashes, at least five Delhi Police personnel — including a Station House Officer (SHO) — were injured by stone pelting. Thankfully, all the injured officers were reported to have sustained minor injuries, were given medical treatment, and discharged soon after.
Despite the injuries, police and MCD officials emphasized that no serious harm was inflicted on any of the security forces, underlining that measured and controlled use of force helped limit escalation.
Demolition Outcome and Site Conditions
By early morning, the demolition continued — with civic teams clearing away the encroachments as per the High Court directives.
The banquet hall, diagnostic centre, and dispensary that were established on public land were brought down. Debris and remnants of these structures littered the site, filling scores of trucks and vehicles engaged in the clean-up operation.
Crucially, officials were clear that the mosque itself was not damaged in the process. Statements from the MCD confirmed that the structure of the Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque was left intact.
Police Response and Measures
Authorities maintained that the situation was brought under complete control shortly after the clashes.
Police used tare gas and minimal force aimed strictly at preventing escalation, and not at suppressing peaceful protestors. “The situation is 100 per cent under control,” DCP Valsan said, adding that the police would take strict legal action against those found involved in stone pelting.
An FIR has been filed in connection with the violence, registering charges such as rioting, obstructing public servants in discharge of duty, destruction of government property, and causing hurt to public servants on duty.
Five individuals have already been detained based on footage from police body cameras and CCTV recordings that captured the stone-pelting actions, officials said.
Senior police officers also stated that witness statements were being recorded and video evidence thoroughly analyzed to identify and pursue further legal action against other offenders.
Local Residents’ Voices and Reactions
Reactions from residents and community members around the area have been mixed.
Some locals who gathered near the site expressed anger at how the demolition was executed, claiming they were not adequately informed about the proceedings. Others claimed that the structures being removed were providing essential services — including parking and community space — and their sudden destruction left many residents inconvenienced.
However, other residents acknowledged that unauthorized encroachments do pose practical problems for urban infrastructure, restricting access and encroaching on public land. Many called for more transparent dialogue before enforcement actions that directly impact local livelihoods and community spaces.
Several eyewitness videos circulating on social media also showed heated exchanges between protestors and police, stone pelting, and teargas smoke rising in the narrow lanes around Turkman Gate, though none showed damage to the mosque building itself.
Administrative Explanation and Official Justification
Officials from the MCD emphasized that demolition operations were carried out strictly in accordance with legal directions. The civic body had been given a clear timeline and mandate by the High Court to remove encroachments affecting traffic flow and public land use.
MCD Deputy Commissioner Vivek Kumar reiterated that extensive preliminary work — including marking encroachments, issuing notices to land occupants, and engaging with local representatives — had been conducted before the demolition commenced.
Senior police leadership also highlighted the comprehensive law and order arrangements that were put in place, including stakeholder engagement and confidence-building measures to prevent any untoward incidents.
Security and Broader Implications
The incident underscores the delicate balance civic authorities must maintain when enforcing land laws in densely populated urban zones, especially around historically and culturally significant sites like mosques and graveyards.
The clash also raises broader questions about how such drives are planned in advance, how communications with local communities can be strengthened, and how civil unrest can be avoided while upholding court directives.
Law enforcement faces the perennial challenge of implementing judicial orders without alienating local communities or escalating tensions. As civic agencies continue with such enforcement drives across the capital, authorities may need to reassess engagement strategies with stakeholders to avert similar conflicts in future.
What Comes Next
Authorities continue to analyze CCTV, body-cam, and mobile footage from the Turkman Gate incident to identify all persons involved in the stone-pelting. Further arrests and FIR updates are expected in the coming days.
The Delhi High Court has yet to respond publicly to the clashes, and local political representatives from various parties may also engage in dialogue or raise concerns in the coming days.
Citizens and commuter groups have also called for traffic and public advisories in the area as cleanup operations and legal follow-ups continue, citing expected congestion around major arteries like Ajmeri Gate and Delhi Gate.
Conclusion
The anti-encroachment drive near the Syed Faiz Elahi Mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area highlighted the complex interplay of legal, administrative, and community interests in urban governance. While the court-mandated demolition proceeded as planned, the violence that erupted — resulting in injuries to five police personnel — speaks to deeper tensions that often accompany enforcement actions in crowded, sensitive neighborhoods.
As authorities pursue legal action against those involved in violence and reinforce the rule of law, the incident remains a reminder of the importance of careful planning, dialogue, and proportional response when public order and civic mandates intersect.
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