The dispute over the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque and the adjacent land located near Delhi’s historic Turkman Gate is not just a case of local encroachment. This case became a confluence of government land, Waqf claims, historical records and judicial process.

This matter started when an organization called Save India Foundation complained to the government. The complaint said that the government land at Ramlila Ground at Turkman Gate is under illegal occupation and is being used as a wedding/wedding venue, parking and a clinic and diagnostic centre.

Question 1: What did the government do after receiving the complaint?

Taking cognizance of the complaint, Land and Development Office (L&DO), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) jointly conducted a joint survey. The survey revealed that 2,512 square feet area has been encroached upon. The government land of Ramlila Ground is occupied by 36,428 square feet. Marriage procession, parking and private medical center were found operating here.

Question 2: How was this land proved to be government land?

The government examined the records from 1952 to 1972. DDA and L&DO clarified that the land belongs to the Government of India. The land is registered in the records of L&DO. During investigation, no transfer/allotment was found registered in the name of Waqf Board. After the government survey and results, Save India Foundation filed a petition in the Delhi High Court.

Question 3: What order did the Delhi High Court give?

On this matter, the High Court directed that the illegal encroachment should be removed. Action Taken Report (ATR) should be filed within 3 months, but before that all parties should be given full opportunity of hearing.

Question 4: What happened in the first hearing?

During the first hearing, the mosque management claimed that the mosque is more than 100 years old and is Waqf property. He denied that there was a wedding procession. He claimed that sometimes the empty space is used for marriages. They even claimed to have a cemetery. The DDA/L&DO side said that the land always belonged to the Government of India. No ownership document in the name of Waqf Board

Question 5: What new came to light in the second hearing?

The Waqf Board claimed that the mosque is mentioned in the gazette notification of 1970, but the exact extent of the land is not clear. However, L&DO had important evidence, according to which there is a lease deed dated 15 February 1940. This lease is for only 0.195 acres of land. No further lease/allotment

Question 6: What was the final decision of the government?

The final order of MCD was very clear that no right has been proved on more than 0.195 acres of land. Because of this the land belongs to the Government of India (L&DO). Apart from mosque/dargah/cemetery, no wedding venue, parking, clinic or earning related activities can be run on this government land. In this way, every structure built outside 0.195 acres would be considered encroachment, hence they were removed.

Question 7: Was the entire mosque declared illegal?

On this matter, the government clearly said that 0.195 acres of land is legal. For this reason the entire mosque cannot be declared illegal. Any construction outside this is illegal.

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Why did the bulldozer run in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan area, how did the dispute start, what is the link to the mosque?

Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque located in Turkman Gate area of ​​Delhi suddenly came into discussion on Tuesday. Late on Tuesday night, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) demolished the alleged illegal constructions adjacent to the mosque with bulldozers. Since then, the situation has remained tense in the area and a large number of police forces are deployed.

Entire area changed in cantonment
The entire area around Turkman Gate has been turned into a cantonment. Police are stopping people from coming out of their homes. Meanwhile, the name of this mosque has now come to light as being linked to Delhi bomb blast accused terrorist Omar. After midnight on Tuesday, MCD teams reached near the mosque with heavy police force. The action to remove illegal encroachment was started with about 30 bulldozers.

Stone pelting on MCD and police
The administration says that a procession house and testing house adjacent to the mosque were built on government land and they were removed on the orders of the court. As soon as the demolition work started, some people pelted stones at the MCD and police. Five policemen including Chandni Mahal police station in-charge Mahavir Prasad were injured in this stone pelting. The condition of the station in-charge is said to be critical. To control the situation, the police had to release tear gas shells.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Madhur Verma said that the situation was controlled with minimum use of force and any major conflict was avoided. He said that before the action, several meetings were held with the peace committee and local people, so that peace could be maintained.

Umar, accused of Red Fort bomb blast, was seen in this area.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police investigation has revealed that Red Fort bomb blast accused terrorist Umar was seen in this area before the incident. In the CCTV footage, Umar was seen present around Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque and inside the mosque for about 15 to 20 minutes.

According to the investigation report, Umar had also gone inside the mosque before the blast. Now security agencies are trying to find out why he had gone there and who he met.

This area is under strict surveillance
According to sources, after this connection came to light, the area around Turkman Gate and the mosque is under strict surveillance of police and intelligence agencies. However, the administration says that the bulldozer action has no direct connection with the investigation of the blast. This action was part of the legal process against previously identified illegal constructions. At the same time, the mosque committee claims that the structure which has been demolished is more than 100 years old and is a part of the mosque complex.

The accused are being identified
After the stone pelting incident, Delhi Police is now identifying the accused with the help of footage from CCTV and body worn cameras. In this case, FIR has been registered against unknown people and 10 people have been detained.

In Delhi, at midnight on January 6, action was taken to remove illegal encroachment near Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque located at Ramlila Maidan near Turkman Gate. Around 10 bulldozers were deployed at the spot in the early hours of 7 January, during which the situation in the area became tense.