Turkman Gate violence: Delhi court sends 5 accused to 13 days' judicial custody

A Delhi court on Thursday remanded five men arrested in connection with a stone-pelting incident near the Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid at Turkman Gate here in 13 days of judicial custody.

The five accused -- Mohammad Arib, Kashif, Adnan, Mohammad Kaif and Sameer -- were produced before Judicial Magistrate Pooja Suhag.

The court sent all five to 13 days of judicial custody. The matter has further been listed for hearing the bail pleas of all the five accused on Friday.

The Delhi Police lodged an FIR against the five accused at the Chandni Mahal police station on Wednesday under sections 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty), 121 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 191 (rioting), 223(A) (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 3(5) (joint liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

The total number of arrests made in the matter now stands at 11, including the apprehension of a juvenile.

On Thursday, six more persons -- Afaan, Adil, Shahnawaz, Hamza, Atharr and Ubed, all residents of the Turkman Gate area -- were arrested.

An anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in the Ramlila Maidan area on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday triggered violence as many people pelted stones at police personnel, injuring five of them, including the area's station house officer.

Trouble brewed when a social media post claimed that the mosque, located opposite the Turkman Gate, was being demolished during the anti-encroachment drive and people started gathering there, police sources said.

They claimed that 150 to 200 people were involved in pelting stones and glass bottles at the police personnel and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers.

MCD Deputy Commissioner Vivek Kumar had said around 36,000 square feet of encroached area was cleared during the drive. A diagnostic centre, a banquet hall and two boundary walls were demolished during the drive that went on through the night, Kumar had said.

He had also clarified that the mosque was not damaged in any way.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)