New Delhi – Six more people were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the Turkman Gate violence that erupted during an anti-encroachment drive near a century-old mosque in central Delhi. This brings the total number of arrests to 11 following the incident that occurred on Wednesday. Deputy commissioner of police (central) Nidhin Valsan identified those arrested as Mohammed Afaan, Mohammed Adil, Mohammed Hamza, Mohammed Ubaid, Mohammed Athar, all aged between 20 to 30, and Shahnawaz Alam, 45. All six individuals are residents of the Turkman Gate area and face charges related to stone pelting at police personnel during the demolition drive.
Details of the Turkman Gate Violence Incident
The Turkman Gate violence erupted during an overnight anti-encroachment operation that deployed 32 bulldozers to raze structures covering 36,428 square feet of the Ramlila Ground, according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The operation targeted a banquet hall, a private diagnostics centre, a room where Haj pilgrims stayed, portions of a road, a footpath, and a car park abutting the mosque. The Turkman Gate violence began after a brief bout of stone pelting by some local residents, which triggered a lathi charge by police forces deployed at the site.
First Information Report in Turkman Gate Violence Case
On Wednesday, police registered a first information report and arrested five people initially—Mohammed Kashif, his brother Mohammed Kaif, Mohammed Areeb, Mohammed Adnan and Mohammed Sameer, all aged between 20 and 30 and residents of Chandni Mahal and Darya Ganj. In the FIR documenting the Turkman Gate violence, a constable stated that all residents had been informed that the anti-encroachment drive would be carried out and that no damage would be caused to the mosque. Despite these assurances, around 30-35 people approached the barricades at approximately 12:40 am, raising slogans against the police administration.
Stone Pelting During Turkman Gate Violence
The FIR further detailed how the Turkman Gate violence escalated when people in the crowd started pelting stones at police personnel. “Police made announcements through a loud-hailer informing that Section 163 (Power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of BNSS was in force in the area, but the crowd did not disperse and continued stone pelting after damaging the barricades,” the complaint stated. This description captures the intensity of the Turkman Gate violence that unfolded during the early morning hours.
Special Investigation Teams Formed for Turkman Gate Violence
Police announced on Thursday that they have formed a special team to probe the Turkman Gate violence case comprehensively. “The team is formed under an ACP and is headed by an inspector with four sub inspectors. One team will focus on identifying those who pelted stones and the other will focus on mobilisation using social media as a lot of people posted inflammatory and fake statements on their profiles,” a senior police officer explained. This two-pronged approach aims to address both the physical violence and the digital misinformation surrounding the incident.
Social Media Misinformation in Turkman Gate Violence
Police are monitoring the role of two women who allegedly made “inflammatory” statements on their social media profiles related to the Turkman Gate violence. “A woman who has over 32,000 followers on social media shared a video saying that the mosque was being demolished which was factually incorrect. This amounts to rumour mongering. She will be called in for questioning. A team went to her house to serve notice but it was locked,” a senior police officer stated. The other woman gave false statements to local media, again constituting rumour mongering.
YouTubers Under Scanner for Turkman Gate Violence Mobilization
A second officer revealed that a list of 10 YouTubers has been compiled based on investigations into social media activity during the night of the Turkman Gate violence. “We are examining the profiles of all of them and they’ll be called in for questioning if they mobilised people using fake information,” the officer said. This scrutiny reflects authorities’ concerns about how social media platforms were potentially used to incite the violence and spread misinformation about the actual nature of the anti-encroachment drive.
Legal Background of Turkman Gate Violence
The developments occurred after the Delhi High Court on January 7 issued a notice to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other requisite agencies in a petition by the managing committee of Masjid Syed Elahi challenging the MCD’s decision to remove encroachments. The committee contended that the property in question was being used by it and lease rent was paid to the Delhi Waqf Board. Significantly, the court effectively did not stay the demolitions, paving the way for the operation that resulted in the Turkman Gate violence.
Families Deny Involvement in Turkman Gate Violence
Among those arrested in the Turkman Gate violence case, Kaif is a fourth-year Chartered Accountancy student, Atthar is a delivery agent, and Alam is an auto driver. Speaking about the arrests, Alam’s mother Raziya, 85, denied his role in the incident and claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. “Our neighbour Ubaid has also been arrested and his brother’s name is also Shahnawaz. I think they have arrested the wrong person. My house was locked at the time of stone pelting and my son was inside with his family,” she stated.
Community Impact of Turkman Gate Violence
A relative of Ubaid, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Ubaid’s paralyzed father had to be hospitalized after the arrest. “His father is also paralysed. He got more sick after the arrest and is now hospitalized,” the relative explained. These family accounts highlight the broader community impact of the Turkman Gate violence and subsequent arrests. As investigations continue with special teams examining both the physical rioting and alleged social media mobilization, authorities maintain that all residents of the area had been properly informed about the anti-encroachment drive beforehand, though tensions clearly remained high in the historically sensitive Turkman Gate area of central Delhi.
