The Delhi Police have identified 30 suspects in the Turkman Gate stone-pelting case during an MCD demolition drive, with five arrests made and a sitting MP set to be summoned.
Delhi Police personnel at the site after stones were thrown during a Municipal Corporation of Delhi demolition drive near Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid in the Turkman Gate area of New Delhi on January 7. (UNI Photo)
The Delhi Police have identified 30 people linked to the stone-pelting incident that broke out during a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Masjid in Turkman Gate. Five arrests have been made so far. A summons will also be issued to Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi to join the investigation.
Police say the identification was based on CCTV footage, police body-worn camera recordings and videos circulated on social media. Multiple teams have been formed, and raids are underway to detain the remaining suspects.
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The violence occurred in the early hours of January 7, when civic authorities moved in to remove what they described as illegal encroachments around the mosque, following directions from the Delhi High Court. According to the police, coordination meetings had been held in advance with local stakeholders, including members of the Aman Committee, to avoid unrest.
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Details in the FIR, accessed by IANS, lay out a step-by-step account of the night. Police began barricading the area around 12.40 am. Soon after, a group of around 30 to 35 people gathered and allegedly raised slogans, blocking officers from securing the site.
Police said Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, imposed in cases of apprehended danger, was in force at the time. The crowd was asked to disperse. Instead, the FIR states, the situation escalated.
“They not only obstructed and attacked the policemen on duty but also broke the loudspeaker, barricades and attacked policemen with stones,” the complainant said.
“One of the protesters snatched the loudhailer and broke it,” the FIR adds.
Several policemen, including the station house officer, were injured and later admitted to LNJP Hospital. Additional forces were called in to control the situation, after which the demolition of structures around the religious site was completed.
The FIR has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to rioting, assault on public servants and disobedience of lawful orders, along with provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The five accused named in the FIR are Mohd Kasif, Mohd Aarib, Mohd Shahawaz, Mohd Adnan and Mohd Kaif, all residents of the Chandni Mahal area.
In a related development, Delhi Police said they would summon MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, who was present in the area before the violence. Senior officers had asked him to stay away from the immediate vicinity, but he remained there, police claimed.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan criticised the demolition drive, alleging that authorities had “crossed all limits in their animosity towards Muslims.”
“When such actions are taken against religious sites, which are connected to people’s emotions and faith, then there will be a reaction to the action,” Hasan told ANI.
The arrested accused have been sent to one-day judicial custody. Their lawyers said bail pleas have been filed and are scheduled to be heard at Tis Hazari Court.
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