2 more held in Turkman Gate violence case in Delhi; 20 arrested so far

The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested two more persons in connection with the stone pelting at Turkman Gate last week, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 20, an official said.

The police said that efforts are being made to apprehend social media influencers for their roles in inciting violence as well.

Those arrested so far have been identified as Mohd Imran (34), Adnan (28), 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), the police said.

They said elaborate security arrangements remain in place in sensitive pockets of the Turkman Gate area, with the 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.

The police used force and lobbed teargas shells to quell the protest.

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