Security personnel at the site after violence erupted during an anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Ramlila Maidan area, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Misleading audio messages circulated on multiple WhatsApp groups were key to fuelling rumours about the alleged demolition of the Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque near the Turkman Gate, even as officers moved swiftly to counter the narrative, an official said on Thursday.
An anti-encroachment drive near the mosque in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan area on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday triggered violence as many people pelted stones at police personnel, injuring five of them, including the area's station house officer.
In all, 10 people were arrested, and a juvenile was apprehended.
According to police, rumours claiming the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was demolishing the mosque spread primarily through voice notes shared across community, religious and neighbourhood WhatsApp groups ahead of a court-ordered anti-encroachment drive.
Investigators said several WhatsApp groups were already under police watch when the audio messages began circulating. "Our teams had penetrated these groups and actively countered the false claims. This helped restrict the crowd size and prevented wider mobilisation," a senior police officer said.
Around four to five WhatsApp groups that showed an aggressive or provocative tone were placed under close surveillance, police said, adding that no fresh groups appeared to have been created immediately before the incident -- a factor that is being examined while probing whether the rumours were pre-planned.
"As soon as the misinformation surfaced, our ACPs and SHOs reached out to Aman Committee members, community elders and religious leaders to clarify that the mosque would not be touched," the officer said, adding that senior officers personally engaged with clerics to dispel fear.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan had held meetings with more than 120 maulvis days before the drive, clearly explaining that only illegal encroachments would be removed and that the mosque itself was not part of the action.
Religious leaders were also informed about their legal remedies if they wished to challenge the court order.
Police have also identified at least 10 social media influencers who allegedly spread false claims that the mosque had been demolished, and one woman influencer has been summoned for questioning. Authorities said the content being circulated was misleading and had the potential to disturb communal harmony.