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.

The encroachment case related to Delhi’s historical Ramlila Maidan has simultaneously shaken the politics, administration and law and order of the capital. ABP News has gathered exclusive information on the matter. The whole matter started after a complaint by an NGO named Save India Foundation. This has now turned into a major legal and administrative conflict between the Delhi High Court, MCD, Delhi Waqf Board, L&DO and DDA. The bulldozer action on the night of 6 January made this entire dispute more sensitive.

Save India Foundation had filed a complaint in MCD regarding illegal encroachment on the land of Ramlila Maidan. It was alleged in the complaint that illegal construction on public land is being used for commercial purposes and it should be removed immediately. Taking cognizance of this complaint, L&DO, DDA and MCD jointly conducted a joint survey on 16 October 2025.

Shocking revelations in joint survey

The joint survey revealed that illegal encroachment has been done on 2512 square feet of PWD land and footpath. There is 36,428 square feet of Ramlila Maidan land, which was given by L&DO to MCD. A wedding procession, parking of vehicles and a diagnostic center were set up illegally on it. This land was for public use, but it was being misused commercially, which the administration considered a serious violation.

Petition and strict instructions in Delhi High Court

Save India Foundation filed a petition in the Delhi High Court regarding the matter. On November 12, 2025, the High Court directed the MCD to take action to remove illegal encroachment within three months. All parties should be given full opportunity of being heard

MCD hearing Waqf Board vs L&DO

The first hearing on the case took place on 24 November 2025. Representatives of the Management Committee of Faiz Ilahi Masjid, Delhi Waqf Board, DDA and L&DO attended the meeting chaired by DC (L&E), MCD. L&DO clearly said that the disputed land was never given to Delhi Waqf Board. Whereas the Management Committee and Waqf Board asked for time to present the ownership documents.

The second hearing took place on 16 December 2025. Tehsildar also participated in this meeting. The management committee claimed that Dargah Faiz-e-Ilahi is more than 100 years old. Even before independence, there was a mosque and a cemetery here. This is Waqf By User land, hence no separate document is required. Delhi Waqf Board declared ownership rights on 0.195 acres of land on the basis of records of 1940. L&DO also admitted that according to the sale deed dated 15 February 1940, only 0.195 acres of land belonged to Waqf.

Everything beyond 0.195 acres is illegal-MCD

After both the hearings, MCD concluded that in 1959, L&DO had given 30 acres of land to MCD as Ramlila Maidan at a license fee of Re 1. There is no such document available to prove that the disputed land was given to the Waqf Board. Even in the Gazette Notification of 1970, there is no concrete evidence of the disputed land. Only 0.195 acres of land could be confirmed. MCD clearly said that the use of wedding procession and diagnostic center is misuse of public land. Buildings constructed in an area of ​​more than 0.195 acres are completely illegal and should be removed

January 6 hearing and bulldozer action in High Court

Hearing was held again in Delhi High Court on 6 January 2026. The court said that the matter is maintainable and issued a notice to the Ministry of Urban Development, MCD Delhi Waqf Board and sought their reply. However, the status quo that the management committee expected was not achieved. After this, on the night of 6 January, MCD started bulldozing action in the presence of heavy police and paramilitary forces. As soon as the bulldozer reached the disputed site, a crowd of hundreds of people gathered around the Dargah. Stones were pelted at security forces.

To control the situation, police and paramilitary forces released tear gas shells. All roads leading to the mosque and Dargah were barricaded. Even the narrow streets were sealed. Only after cordoning off the entire area, MCD started the action to remove encroachment.

Also read: Weather Forecast: Meteorological Department’s warning from UP-Delhi, Bihar to Punjab Haryana, know how much is the torture of cold in the country?