The Delhi Police has identified at least 10 social media influencers for allegedly spreading rumours in connection with the violence near central Delhi’s Turkman Gate. Violence and stone pelting had erupted in the area during an anti-encroachment drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) near the Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque.
The police said the misinformation campaign, amplified through WhatsApp voice notes and social media posts, triggered stone-pelting during a court-ordered anti-encroachment drive near the mosque on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Social Media Influencers under scanner
The police have identified at least 10 social media influencers for allegedly for spreading false claims about the demolition of the encroached area near Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid, according to PTI. One woman influencer has been summoned for questioning after a video posted by her was flagged by the police social media monitoring teams as misleading and capable of disturbing communal harmony, the police said.
“Teams have identified at least 10 social media accounts, including one Salman, which were spreading rumours about the drive,” an official said, adding that the content being circulated was misleading and factually incorrect, triggering violence. “We have prepared a list of 10 influencers whose posts and videos are under scrutiny. We have more people under the radar. Our teams are analysing the content being circulated on social media, and these influencers will be questioned soon,” the officer added.
The police have put multiple WhatsApp groups under the scanner for allegedly circulating misleading audio messages, they said, adding that they are planning to send a notice to Samajwadi Party leader Mohibbullah Nadvi, who was allegedly present on the spot, to join the investigation.
“Our teams had already penetrated several of these WhatsApp groups and actively countered the false narrative, which helped restrict wider mobilisation,” the Additional CP said.
6 More Arrested for Delhi Violence
The Delhi Police on Thursday made six more arrests in connection with the violence. The fresh arrests take the total number of people held so far to 11, including the apprehension of a juvenile. “Six newly arrested accused have been identified as Afaan, Adil, Shahnawaz, Hamza, Atharr and Ubed, all residents of the Turkman Gate area,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan told PTI.
Security tightened ahead of Friday prayer
The security arrangements have been tightened and additional force will be deployed in the area on Friday ahead of ‘Jumme ki Namaz’. Additional CP Valsan said he had personally held meetings with over 120 maulvis to explain that only illegal encroachments would be removed and that the mosque was not part of the demolition.The police shared aerial footage of the demolition site, saying videos taken both before and after the operation clearly establish that the mosque was not touched.
FIR lodged by Delhi Police
Earlier on Thursday, a Delhi court remanded five of them in 13 days of judicial custody. The five accused — Mohammad Arib, Kashif, Adnan, Mohammad Kaif and Sameer — were produced before Judicial Magistrate Pooja Suhag. The court sent all five to 13 days of judicial custody. The matter has been further listed for hearing the bail pleas of all five accused on Friday.
What happened in the Turkman Gate
An anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in the Ramlila Maidan area on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday triggered violence as many people pelted stones at police personnel, injuring five of them, including the area’s station house officer. Trouble brewed when a social media post claimed that the mosque, located opposite the Turkman Gate, was being demolished during the anti-encroachment drive and people started gathering there, police sources told PTI.
They claimed that 150 to 200 people were involved in pelting stones and glass bottles at the police personnel and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers. MCD Deputy Commissioner Vivek Kumar had said around 36,000 square feet of encroached area was cleared during the drive. A diagnostic centre, a banquet hall and two boundary walls were demolished during the drive that went on through the night, Kumar told the media.
