A demolition drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid in Old Delhi on Wednesday triggered protests and stone-pelting, leaving four to five police personnel injured. Authorities filed an FIR and took five individuals into custody.
The MCD claimed the mosque encroached on over 30,000 sq metres of land. The incident came just hours after the High Court issued a notice on the mosque committee’s petition challenging the demolition.
Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), said in a statement Wednesday that the administration, including district police, had held several coordination meetings with members of the Aman Committee and other local stakeholders to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incidents.
The Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid, thought to be over a century old, was among the places visited by Delhi suicide bomber Dr. Umar Un Nabi on the afternoon of November 10. Just hours after his visit, the i10 he was driving detonated near the Red Fort, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 individuals.
Following the incident of the stone pelting, Delhi Police have lodged an FIR against unknown suspects, and are scanning through CCTV footage from the vicinity of the mosque complex.
Nidhin Valsan, Central District Deputy Commissioner of Police said that around 100 people had gathered around the mosque. “There was an incident of stone pelting in which four-five police personnel have received minor injuries,” he told the Print. He also mentioned that, based on intelligence, five individuals have been detained for questioning and to verify with CCTV footage.
Valsan stated that an FIR was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023—Sections 221 (obstructing a public servant), 132 (using criminal force to deter a public servant), 121 (causing hurt or grievous hurt to a public servant), 191(2 and 3) (rioting), 223(A) (disobedience to public servant orders), and 3(5) (common intention)—along with provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The demolition action against encroachment of more than 30,000 square metres took place hours after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the MCD, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Ministry of Urban Development’s Land and Development Office (L&DO), Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Waqf Board on a petition filed by the managing committee of the Masjid Syed Faiz Elahi. The mosque committee had challenged MCD’s demolition order, issued in compliance with Delhi High Court order from November 2025.
