New Delhi, 07 January (H.S.): A pre-dawn anti-encroachment operation near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in the Ramlila Maidan area erupted into violence on Wednesday, leaving five police officers injured after locals pelted stones at security forces deployed for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's demolition drive.

The confrontation unfolded around 1:30 a.m. during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, when approximately 30 bulldozers and 50 dumpers mobilized to raze unauthorized structures—a banquet hall and dispensary—encroaching on a 0.195-acre plot housing the mosque and an adjacent dargah, as mandated by the Delhi High Court's refusal to grant a stay the previous day.

Amid heavy police presence exceeding 300 personnel, a mob of 20 to 25 individuals hurled stones and glass bottles, prompting authorities to deploy mild force including tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and restore order swiftly.

Five suspects, including a juvenile, faced formal arrest, while 10 to 15 others underwent detention; an FIR now stands registered against unidentified perpetrators on charges of rioting and obstructing public servants, with CCTV, body camera, and ground footage under scrutiny for further identifications.

Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood and police officials, including Joint Commissioner Madhur Verma, affirmed the mosque—a century-old Waqf property—remained unscathed, emphasizing the action targeted only court-specified illegal commercial setups without malice or overreach.

Normalcy returned promptly, though traffic curbs lingered in the Turkman Gate vicinity.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar