Municipal authorities, assisted by the police, began a demolition drive in the early hours of Wednesday to remove alleged encroachments near a century-old mosque in the Turkman Gate area of Old Delhi, triggering tension in the locality. The demolition by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was earlier scheduled to begin at 8 am, 7 January, but commenced at around 1.30 am, according to media reports. The demolition was carried out despite Delhi High Court on Tuesday issuing notice on a petition filed by the managing committee of Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid. The petition challenged the MCD decision to remove alleged encroachments from land adjoining the mosque and the graveyard at Ramlila Maidan. Following the notice, MCD officials visited the site to mark the encroached area on January 4, but faced resistance from locals, prompting increased police deployment.

Source: Mint January 07, 2026 11:20 UTC