Locals protest demolition of mosque outer wall in Mangolpuri, MCD halts drive
MCD said the outer boundary wall of the mosque complex was encroaching on park land.
New Delhi
Protests broke out in Y Block of Mangolpuri on Tuesday morning during an anti-encroachment drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which started demolishing an illegally built portion of a mosque complex inside a municipal park on Kanjhwala Road. However, the drive was halted midway as the situation escalated, with a large crowd gathering and forming a human chain to obstruct the entry of excavator machines, MCD said in a statement.
In the statement, the MCD said the encroachment drive was part of its “ongoing efforts to address unauthorised religious encroachments and uphold the integrity of public spaces.” With the support of the five police companies, the MCD commenced the demolition of the illegally extended boundary wall.
“The operation removed 20 metres of the unauthorised structure. However, the situation escalated as a large mob gathered, forming a human chain to obstruct the entry of JCBs into the area... Additionally, the presence of female protesters sitting on the unauthorised structure complicated the law-and-order situation. Despite their diligent efforts, the authorities were unable to safely disperse the crowd,” the MCD said.
The statement said that in light of the development, the police advised the MCD to halt the demolition drive temporarily, to maintain peace and order. “A status report regarding this issue has been filed with the high court of Delhi in WC (P) No 4867/2024,” the civic body said.
Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Jimmy Chiram said: “We deployed the force as per MCD’s plan to demolish part of the mosque, which is an encroachment on the land. The mosque is intact. However, there was a protest.”
The DCP said: “There was no stone pelting. One or two people must have picked up stones. The police controlled the situation and the demolition was carried out. We don’t know how much they had planned to demolish... the team left after the protest. We are not lodging any case as of now. The situation is under control.”
Police said more than 80 personnel, equipped with anti-riot gear, were deployed at the mosque.
A second police officer said the MCD intended to remove the outer wall. “After three hours of efforts, the locals gathered and the drive had to be halted,” the officer said.
The MCD has said it was in the process of rescheduling the encroachment removal programme. “MCD remains steadfast in its commitment to enforcing the rule of law and ensuring the orderly development of the city,” it said.
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