NEW DELHI – Central Delhi’s Turkman Gate remained under a heavy security blanket on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, following a night of chaos, tear gas, and stone-pelting. The violence broke out during an MCD demolition drive targeting over 38,000 square feet of encroachments surrounding the historic Faiz-e-Elahi Mosque.
While the century-old mosque remained untouched, authorities demolished several adjoining structures, including a Haj pilgrim rest house, a private diagnostics center, and a banquet hall, following a High Court mandate to clear public land.
Detailed Timeline of Events
| Time | Event |
| Tuesday, 3:30 PM | The Delhi High Court issues notices to the MCD and the Delhi Waqf Board but refuses to stay the demolition. The court schedules the next hearing for April 22. |
| Tuesday, 10:30 PM | A fleet of 32 bulldozers and earth-movers arrive at Turkman Gate. Security is immediately tightened as crowds begin to sense the impending drive. |
| Tuesday, 11:00 PM | Massive police deployment: 9 Addl. Commissioners, 25 ACPs, 800 local cops, and 10 companies of paramilitary forces divide the area into nine security zones. |
| Tuesday, 11:30 PM | Hundreds of local residents begin gathering near the mosque, despite police orders to clear the streets. |
| Wednesday, 1:00 AM | Sloganeering intensifies. Police report a group of 25–30 people began pelting stones at security forces from nearby rooftops and alleys. |
| Wednesday, 1:30 AM | Police respond with lathi-charge and tear gas shells. Under the cover of the dispersal, bulldozers begin tearing down the encroached structures. |
| Wednesday, 3:30 AM | Demolition of the main targeted structures (banquet hall and clinic) is completed. Resistance subsides as smoke from tear gas fills residential lanes. |
| Wednesday, 10:00 AM | Delhi Police register an FIR and detain five individuals identified through body-cam and CCTV footage for allegedly inciting violence. |
Conflicting Accounts: Residents vs. Police
While the police maintain that “minimal force” was used only after they were attacked, local residents have shared a different perspective:
- Allegations of Overreach: Residents like Mohammed Zuhaib (43) claimed that police fired nearly 50 tear gas shells, some of which reportedly landed inside residential balconies, causing distress to children and the elderly.
- The “Outsider” Theory: Mohammed Shehzad of the local Aman Committee suggested that the violence was sparked by “outsiders.” He noted that local leaders had been in talks with the police for a week and had agreed to the demolition as long as the mosque itself was protected.
- Retaliation Claim: Some locals argued that the stone-pelting was a spontaneous reaction to the police lathi-charge, rather than a planned attack.
The Legal Dispute
The Masjid Syed Elahi Managing Committee argued in court that they had been paying lease rent to the Delhi Waqf Board for decades and that the land was notified Waqf property. However, the MCD countered that any structure occupying the road, footpath, or the “baraat ghar” area beyond the allotted 0.195 acres was a public encroachment that must be cleared to restore the city’s infrastructure.