Five Delhi Police Officers Hurt After Anti-Encroachment Operation Near Mosque Turns Violent

At least five police personnel sustained injuries after an anti-encroachment drive near a mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area turned violent early on Wednesday (January 7, 2026).

The violence broke out after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) carried out a demolition drive in the encroached area near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid at Turkman Gate, close to Ramlila Maidan.

Delhi Police said it had made extensive law-and-order arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the demolition. Senior officers divided the entire area into nine zones, each under the supervision of an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, and deployed adequate police personnel at all sensitive points.

Before the demolition, authorities held several coordination meetings with members of the Aman Committee and other local stakeholders to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incident. Officials said they implemented all preventive and confidence-building measures.

However, officials stated that a few individuals attempted to disrupt the operation by pelting stones. Police controlled the situation quickly through what they described as a measured and minimal use of force.

“During the demolition, a few miscreants tried to create disturbances by indulging in stone pelting. Police brought the situation under control promptly through measured and minimal force, preventing any escalation,” said Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range.

Some people allegedly resorted to stone pelting during the operation, creating chaos at the site, but police restored normalcy shortly afterward.

Authorities deployed around 17 bulldozers to remove the unauthorised structures, including alleged illegal encroachments by a mosque and a graveyard at Turkman Gate in New Delhi.

Delhi Police reiterated its commitment to maintaining law and order and said it would implement all judicial directions in a lawful, professional, and sensitive manner.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) sought responses from the Ministry of Urban Development, the MCD, and the Delhi Waqf Board on a petition challenging the demolition order.

Justice Amit Bansal issued notices to the MCD, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Land and Development Office (L&DO), Public Works Department (PWD), and the Delhi Waqf Board on a plea filed by the managing committee of Masjid Syed Faiz Elahi. The court said the matter required consideration and asked the authorities to file their replies within four weeks. It scheduled the next hearing for April 22.

The petition challenges the MCD’s December 22, 2025 order, which declared that authorities would demolish all structures beyond 0.195 acres of land and noted that the managing committee and the Delhi Waqf Board had not produced documentary evidence to prove ownership or lawful possession. The 0.195-acre parcel houses the mosque.

The MCD issued this order based on a November 12, 2025 directive from a division bench of the Delhi High Court, which granted three months to the civic body and the PWD to clear 38,940 square feet of encroachments at Ramlila Ground near Turkman Gate.

Read Also: The clashes near the mosque injured five officers and briefly disrupted the neighbourhood.

At least five police personnel sustained injuries after an anti-encroachment drive near a mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area turned violent early on Wednesday (January 7, 2026).

The violence broke out after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) carried out a demolition drive in the encroached area near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid at Turkman Gate, close to Ramlila Maidan.

Delhi Police said it had made extensive law-and-order arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the demolition. Senior officers divided the entire area into nine zones, each under the supervision of an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, and deployed adequate police personnel at all sensitive points.

Before the demolition, authorities held several coordination meetings with members of the Aman Committee and other local stakeholders to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incident. Officials said they implemented all preventive and confidence-building measures.

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