Stones thrown at cops during pre-dawn Delhi demolition drive, protesters tear-gassed

Confirming the development, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (central) Nidhin Valsan said the FIR has been lodged on charges including rioting, obstructing public servants in discharge of duty, destruction of government property and causing hurt to public servants on duty.

At least five police personnel were injured during the incident, officials confirmed.

“Five people have been detained in connection with the incident. They were identified with the help of videos captured by officials wearing bodycams and other footage available,” an official aware of the developments said.

While the situation was normal on Wednesday morning, tension gripped parts of Old Delhi after civic authorities, backed by heavy police deployment, began removing alleged encroachments abutting Masjid Syed Elahi, also known as Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid, near Ramlila Maidan. While the demolition was scheduled to begin at 8am, it was initiated around 1:30am, triggering protests from local residents.