Delhi demolition drive: Stones hurled, 10 detained; cops to analyse CCTV footage, videos circulating online | Key points

Here are the key developments from the demolition clash:

• Early on Wednesday morning, an encroachment drive by municipal workers turned violent when unidentified men pelted stones. MCD workers arrived at the site with 30 bulldozers and 50 dump trucks. Around 25–30 people were reportedly involved in stone-pelting. Despite the unrest, authorities managed to demolish a dispensary and a banquet hall.
• “The action started around 1 AM. MCD conducted demolition as per the High Court's orders on the land that was encroached upon. Stones were pelted at the Police at night. We used minimal force to push back. Overall, the process was very smooth. Four to five officers suffered minor injuries. As soon as we receive the CCTV, ground, and body camera footage, we will identify the perpetrators and take legal action,” DCP Nidhin Valsan told news agency ANI.
• A report by news agency PTI stated that people were seen shouting and screaming from their rooftops, and some even waved handkerchiefs as the drive was taking place. Children were also seen collecting broken rods and loose wires from the roadside, carefully clearing the debris left behind after the drive.
• A local auto driver told the news agency that "misinformation" led to the clash. He said rumours had spread on Tuesday that the mosque was being demolished. "In reality, only illegal constructions like shops and other structures were removed," he said.
• The area has been cordoned off, with barricades erected at key entry points, and civilian entry has been restricted. Most shops in the area remain closed. A local shopkeeper said he kept his establishment shut as a precaution. "We shut everything and stayed inside," he said, pointing to debris scattered on the road.

• “During the course of the demolition, a few miscreants attempted to create a disturbance by indulging in stone pelting. The situation was promptly brought under control through measured and minimal use of force, ensuring that normalcy was restored without escalation,” Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range, told the news agency.
• Senior officials told news agency PTI that CCTV footage and videos circulating on social media are being examined, and statements from witnesses and those detained are being recorded as part of the investigation.
• Last November, the Delhi High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Public Works Department to remove encroachments spread over nearly 39,000 square feet at Ramlila Ground near Turkman Gate. Following the order, authorities initiated action to clear illegal structures, including a road, footpath, banquet hall, parking space and a private diagnostic centre.

• Challenging the demolition order, the mosque committee approached the court, asserting that the land is a notified Waqf property governed by the Waqf Act and that only the Waqf Tribunal has the authority to adjudicate such disputes. The MCD, however, maintained that only 0.195 acres—on which the mosque stands—was leased in 1940 and does not include the adjoining land targeted in the demolition drive.
• The petitioner stated that lease rent has been regularly paid to the Waqf Board and clarified that it has no objection to the removal of encroachments. It added that the banquet hall and clinic on the premises have already been shut, with its sole concern relating to the graveyard functioning on the land.
• Last month, citing the November High Court order, the MCD announced that all structures beyond the 0.195-acre mosque land would be demolished, stating that no documentary proof had been provided to establish lawful possession of the remaining land by either the mosque committee or the Delhi Waqf Board.