New Delhi: Tensions flared into violence early Tuesday morning during an anti-encroachment drive near a mosque in central Delhi, as municipal officials and police came under stone attack while carrying out demolitions on land adjoining the Syed Faiz Elahi mosque near Ramlila Maidan.

The demolition, undertaken on the basis of a Delhi High Court directive, triggered resistance from a small group of locals who allegedly pelted stones at the enforcement teams. At least five police personnel were injured, prompting the police to use tear gas to disperse the crowd. Five people have been detained so far in connection with the incident.

The High Court Directive

In November last year, the Delhi High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Public Works Department to remove encroachments from nearly 39,000 square feet of land at the Ramlila Ground area near Turkman Gate. The court order covered multiple structures, including a road, footpath, banquet hall, parking space and a privately run diagnostic centre.

The managing committee of the mosque challenged the move, contending that the land in question was a notified Waqf property. It argued that disputes relating to Waqf land fall under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Tribunal and not the municipal authorities.

MCD’s stand and disputed land

The MCD, however, maintained that only 0.195 acres of land—on which the mosque itself stands—was leased in 1940, and that the lease did not extend to the adjoining areas targeted for demolition.

The mosque committee claimed it had been paying lease rent to the Delhi Waqf Board for use of the land. While it stated that it did not oppose the removal of illegal structures and confirmed that the banquet hall and diagnostic clinic had already been shut down, it raised concerns over the demolition affecting a graveyard operating on the disputed land.

Rising tensions

Last month, the MCD announced that all structures beyond the leased 0.195 acres would be removed, citing the absence of documentary proof establishing lawful possession of the additional land by either the mosque committee or the Waqf Board.

On January 4, when civic officials visited the site to mark the encroached areas, protests erupted, leading to increased police deployment ahead of the planned demolition.

Meanwhile, the mosque committee’s petition came up for hearing before the Delhi High Court a day before the clash. The court sought responses from the MCD, the Ministry of Urban Development and the Delhi Waqf Board within four weeks, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on April 22.

The Morning of the Clash

Despite the pending hearing, municipal teams reached the site early Tuesday with heavy machinery—around 30 bulldozers and 50 dump trucks—to carry out the demolition. According to police, a group of around 25 to 30 people began pelting stones at officers and MCD workers escorting the operation.

While officials managed to demolish a dispensary and a banquet hall, the confrontation left five police personnel injured. Authorities said cases have been registered based on statements from the injured policemen and civic workers, and assured that the situation is now under control.

Police officials said strict action would be taken against those involved in the violence, even as the larger dispute over the land remains sub judice.