Shops shut, streets tense at Turkman Gate after demolition drive

New Delhi: Shuttered shops, overturned scooters, broken tiles and stones marked the narrow lanes near the Turkman Gate area here on Wednesday, as the locality remained tense and under heavy security following violence during an anti-encroachment drive.

At least five police personnel were injured after some people allegedly pelted stones and glass bottles at the police during the demolition drive carried out on the land adjoining the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque and a nearby graveyard.

From rooftops and from behind locked iron gates, people were seen shouting at security personnel stationed across the area. Children, too, were seen screaming from balconies and behind gates and waving handkerchiefs as they watched the scene below but most residents stayed indoors amid the heightened police presence.

Children were also seen picking up broken rods and loose wires from the roadside, carefully moving the debris left behind by the drive.

The roads, largely cleared of traffic, bore visible signs of unrest, with damaged building tiles, broken glass and stones strewn across several stretches.

Additional forces of the Delhi Police were deployed across lanes adjoining the mosque, with personnel positioned at multiple points to prevent any flare-up.

Barricades were erected at key entry points and all civilian movement was restricted, with only police and Municipal Corporation of Delhi vehicles allowed to pass through the area.

Several people were also seen being put into police trucks and taken away from the area as security personnel continued checking lanes and clearing the stretch.

Most shops in the area remained shuttered, adding to the deserted look of the locality which had a tight security cover.

A local shopkeeper said he kept his establishment closed as a precaution. "We shut everything and stayed inside," he said, pointing to the debris scattered on the road.

Another local resident said he had been living in the area for 50 to 60 years and described the land adjoining the mosque as a graveyard. "This place is nothing else. I have seen people being buried here over the years," he said, adding that many residents were disheartened by what they saw.

"People were upset by what was done to the graveyard," he said.

A local auto driver said rumours spread on Tuesday that the mosque was being demolished.

"In reality, only illegal constructions like shops and other structures were removed," he said, adding that the misinformation led to sudden chaos.

"Things escalated quickly yesterday, but the situation is a little calm now," he said.

Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against unidentified persons and detained several people in connection with the violence that erupted during the anti-encroachment drive that was being carried out on directions of the Delhi High Court, an official said.

Around 30 bulldozers and 50 dumpers were deployed, with over 300 civic workers and officials engaged in clearing encroachments declared illegal by the court.

Around 100-150 people gathered at the site before the drive began and clashed with police which used teargas to disperse the crowd, saying they used mild force on them.

The process of identifying those involved in the stone-pelting incident is underway, and police are probing whether the violence was spontaneous or pre-planned.

Senior officers said CCTV footage and videos circulating on social media are being analysed, while statements of witnesses and detained persons are being recorded as part of the investigation.

Police said law and order arrangements remain in place as a precautionary measure and strict action will be taken against those found involved in the violence.