Turkman Gate violence: Delhi Police arrest 11 suspects, 10 social media influencers identified after stone-pelting incident; 5 cops injured

After the anti-encroachment drive in Central Delhi's Turkman Gate turned violent with incidents of stone-pelting against the authorities, Delhi Police has stepped up their investigation. The police have arrested 11 suspects, and have identified 10 social media influencers for allegedly spreading false information about the demolition drive. The authorities said that the anti-encroachment drive near Turkman Gate was done on the basis of order from the court. The drive was happening near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan area.

The total number of those arrested now stands at 11 which includes one juvenile. The six arrested individuals have been identified as Afaan, Adil, Shahnawaz, Hamza, Atharr and Ubed, all residents of the Turkman Gate locality. Earlier, five accused, Mohammad Arib, Kashif, Adnan, Mohammad Kaif and Sameer, were produced before Judicial Magistrate Pooja Suhag, who sent them to judicial custody for a period of 13 days.

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Police officials have also identified 10 social media influencers allegedly involved for spreading false information about the demolition drive. A female influencer has been summoned for questioning after police monitoring teams flagged a video in which she reportedly claimed that a mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area had been demolished. Initial checks found the claim to be false. Officials said the video added to panic surrounding a court-mandated anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque.

Senior police officers said that false social media posts, videos, and audio messages circulated on WhatsApp groups played role in stirring up fear and unrest. These rumours allegedly led over 200 people to gather near Turkman Gate, following which stones and bottles were thrown at police officials and civic body workers. Five police officers, including the local station house officer, were injured.

It all started late on Tuesday (January 6) night and continued into Wednesday (January 7) during the encroachment drive, which police said was done on the basis of a court order. By Wednesday morning, authorities had demolished a banquet hall, a private diagnostic centre, a room used by Hajj pilgrims, and parts of a road, footpath, and parking area around the mosque.

Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said a brief survey would soon be done in areas surrounding Jama Masjid to identify encroachments. He added that civic teams were carefully clearing debris at the Turkman Gate site and were looking to complete the process within the next two to three days. Meanwhile, local residents have refuted the police version of events, claiming that while protests were ongoing, police first used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and stone-pelting occurred in response to that.