• Source:JND

Delhi Demolition Drive: Residents of Delhi’s Turkman Gate area on Wednesday said they felt like "caged animals" after barricades were erected and movement severely restricted following an anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque. They said they were being collectively punished for violence they insist they neither supported nor participated in.

Families living in the narrow lanes adjoining the mosque said they had been unable to step out even for basic needs since security barricades were put in place. According to residents, the restrictions began even before the violence broke out.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday said it removed an encroachment near the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque after finding that there was no ownership or rights beyond a small portion of land covered under a 1940 lease. An encroachment removal drive was carried out at Ramleela Ground, clearing more than 36,000 sq ft of illegally occupied land following directions from the Delhi High Court, the civic body said.

At least five police personnel were injured after some people allegedly pelted stones and glass bottles at the police during the demolition drive carried out on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday on land adjoining the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque.

What Residents Said?

- "We are being treated like criminals for no fault of ours," said Sayed Khan, a local resident.

- "The barricades were put up even before the violence happened. Since then, we have been confined inside, not knowing how long this will go on," he added.

- Residents said the situation had made daily life extremely difficult in an area already lacking basic amenities. Many homes, they said, do not receive direct water supply and depend on water brought in from outside.

"Many homes here do not get water directly and depend on supply from outside. Some houses do not even have proper washrooms," Khan said.

"We are somehow adjusting for today, but if this extends, we do not know how people will manage."

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- Medical emergencies, residents said, had turned into distressing ordeals. A woman said her sick mother had effectively been trapped inside their home.

"My mother is sick," she said, adding, "I had to seek permission since morning just to take her out. Every movement feels controlled."

- Several residents also alleged rough behaviour by some security personnel stationed in the area. A local man said even children were being stopped.

"We tried sending our children to buy groceries, but they were not allowed," he said.

"My child came back on the verge of tears, saying an officer spoke rudely to him. How do you explain this to a child?"

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- Residents said even standing together briefly outside their homes was not permitted.

"If a few people stand together, they are immediately pushed back inside," Khan said, adding, "We understand the need for security, but this feels like punishment."

- Another resident said the lockdown-like situation was imposed without warning.

"Everything happened so suddenly," he said, requesting anonymity. "One moment it was an ordinary night and the next there were barricades, police everywhere and orders not to step out."

- He added that residents had not been told how long the restrictions would continue. "We are sitting quietly inside our homes, but it feels like our entire neighbourhood has been sealed off."

- The lanes near Turkman Gate remained under heavy security, with most residents confined indoors as municipal teams cleared debris from the demolition site near the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque. Outside the barricades, MCD trucks were seen removing broken tiles, stones and remains of demolished structures, while police personnel stood guard.

- Residents said the locality bore signs of disruption, with shuttered shops, overturned scooters, broken tiles and stones scattered across the area. Roads, largely cleared of traffic, remained strewn with glass shards and debris.


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