The group of people who threw stones on police personnel during a drive to demolish encroachments next to the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque adjacent to Ramlila Maidan mostly comprised youngsters in masks, in the 15-30 age group, a constable who sustained injuries said on Wednesday. Some outsiders were also among the crowd who pelted stones, police said.
“Some faces were covered, and some were wearing masks. All the stone pelters were in the 15 to 30 age group,” said Constable Vikram Antla.
He was among the five police personnel who sustained injuries in the stone pelting that took place in the early hours of Wednesday. They were deployed at the barricades near the mosque at Turkman Gate.
“We were instructed to control the crowd at the barricades. It was around 12.30 am, and the demolition had already started. Some young people were very aggressive and were trying to break the barricade,” Antla said, who was hit on the head.
Station House Officer of Chandni Mahal police station, Inspector Mahavir Prasad, who has received an injury on the forehead, said the mob not only included local residents but some outsiders as well. “Some outsiders were present. We were trying to establish their identity,” he said, adding that the incident was unexpected.
The mosque is located near one corner of the Ramlila Maidan. The front gate of the mosque opened to three roads, all of which were barricaded on Wednesday.
“The road leading to the residential area of Turkman Gate was crowded with locals, and the stone pelting started from there,” said Head Constable Jal Singh, who suffered injuries to his waist and back. “The stones were picked up from the road, which had been dug up by a civic agency to repair the sewer line,” he added.
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A senior officer said personnel from the local Chandni Mahal police station were intentionally deployed at the barricades, as they were familiar with the residents and could help in controlling the crowd. “This is why four of the five injured were from the local police station,” the officer added.
The other injured are Constable Ravinder and a senior officer from another district.
