New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) Delhi Police on Thursday arrested six more people in connection with the violence that erupted during the municipal corporation’s demolition drive near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area.

With these latest arrests, the total number of people held in the case has increased to 11.

On Wednesday, Delhi Police arrested five people in connection with the stone pelting incident during the demolition drive near the mosque.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police said they had identified 30 people involved in the violence. The identification was made on the basis of CCTV footage, body-worn camera recordings of police personnel, and several viral videos from the area.

Police officials said a summons will soon be sent to Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi to join the investigation, as he was allegedly present at the site before the violence broke out.

According to Delhi Police, senior officials had requested the MP to stay away from the immediate vicinity, but he continued to remain near the area before the incident.

Delhi Police also intensified their search for YouTuber Salman in the case and will send a notice.

According to police sources, Salman allegedly attempted to disrupt peace by using social media platforms. He is accused of calling upon locals to gather at the site during the demolition drive.

The investigation has also revealed that some influential people in the area allegedly incited residents to assemble through their respective WhatsApp groups. Police said their objective was to create unrest and obstruct the work of the administration and law enforcement agencies during the operation.

The copy of FIR, accessed by IANS, documents the sequence of events, right from police barricading of the encroached land to provocative slogans by a dozen of locals and then hurling of stones at the policemen, even as latter tried to reason with them that the demolition drive was limited to illegal constructions and freeing of illegally occupied government land and there would no harm to the adjoining mosque.

According to the FIR, the unrest occurred at 12.40 a.m. when the policemen started barricading the area. A group of 30-35 people gathered at the spot and started shouting slogans and hindering the cops from putting blockade.

The unruly elements were asked not to assemble at the spot as Section 163 (applied in cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was in place, and they should disperse quickly, but the crowd, instead of relenting, became more aggressive, escalated sloganeering and started pelting stones at the police personnel.

Videos of stone pelting at police personnel, damaging barricades by the mob, surfaced on social media, drawing anger from a section of netizens over the direct assault on the policemen on duty.

The FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 221 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 121 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 191 (rioting), 223 (A) (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 3(5) (joint liability) and provisions of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

–IANS

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