Two more arrested in Turkman Gate violence case in Delhi

Delhi Police on Sunday (January 11, 2025) arrested two more persons in connection with the pelting of stones at Turkman Gate, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 18, an official said.

Those arrested so far have been identified as Mohd Naved (44), Mohd Faiz (20), Mohd Ubaidullah (23), Mohd Arib (25), Mohd Kashif (25), Mohd Kaif (23), Mohd Adnan (37), Sameer Hussain (40), Mohd Athar (20), Shahnawaz Alam (55), Mohd Imran (28), Mohd Imran alias Raju (36), Mohd Affan (20), Mohd Adil (20), Mohd Aamir Hamza (22), Mohd Ubaidullah (26), Fahim (30) and Mohd Sehzad (29), police said.

They said elaborate security arrangements remain in place in sensitive pockets of the Turkman Gate area, with deployment of police and paramilitary personnel to maintain law and order.

“Drone surveillance and extensive CCTV monitoring are being carried out to keep a close watch on the area. The situation is peaceful and under control,” an officer said.

The investigation is progressing with analysis of digital evidence and identification of those involved in spreading misinformation and stone pelting linked to the violence.

An anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area turned violent on the intervening night of January 6 and 7, with many people pelting stones and glass bottles at police personnel, injuring five of them, including the area’s station house officer.

Police used force and lobbed teargas shells to quell the protest.

Trouble began after a social media post claimed the mosque, opposite the Turkman Gate, was being demolished during the anti-encroachment drive, and people started gathering there, according to police sources.