Heavy police barricades and an eerie silence descended upon the bustling lanes around Turkman Gate in central Delhi on Wednesday. The area was transformed into a high-security zone, with authorities sealing all approach roads and restricting the movement of residents following a major overnight demolition drive.
Midnight Operation and Aftermath
The demolition action, targeting an illegal Markaz complex, commenced around midnight on Tuesday and continued until sunrise. Under tight security, civic officials razed structures that included a banquet hall (barat ghar), a dialysis centre, and other diagnostic facilities. By morning, the site was littered with debris—hospital beds, medical equipment, broken furniture, and discarded shoes lay scattered amidst the rubble, right in front of an adjoining mosque.
Residents of nearby DDA flats and surrounding colonies were caught off guard by the scale of the restrictions. Salam Ansari, a 32-year-old biryani shop owner living above his premises with his family, said the confinement was unexpected. "We did not know we would be confined inside our homes and not allowed to step out," he recounted. "Late at night, there was chaos and repeated police announcements. We heard noises, but stayed indoors after being alerted."
Court-Ordered Action Against Encroachment
The crackdown was the culmination of a legal process initiated by a complaint from the Save India Foundation. The complaint alleged that large portions of the Ramleela Ground near Turkman Gate were encroached upon for commercial activities disguised as religious and charitable work. It specifically flagged the unauthorised Markaz complex, banquet hall, and commercial pathology centres charging the public.
Following a joint survey by the MCD, Land and Development Office (L&DO), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on October 16, it was found that approximately 2,512 square feet of PWD road and footpath was encroached. More significantly, around 36,428 square feet of Ramleela Ground land licensed to the MCD was under illegal occupation, housing the barat ghar, a parking lot, and the private diagnostic centre.
The Delhi High Court, hearing a writ petition on November 12, directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove the encroachments and illegal commercial activities within three months. Compliance hearings were subsequently held on November 24 and December 16 under the Deputy Commissioner (Land and Estate), involving representatives from the Managing Committee, Delhi Waqf Board, L&DO, DDA, and revenue authorities.
A Neighbourhood in Lockdown
Throughout Wednesday, the locality remained under strict lockdown. Police presence intensified further after reports of stone-pelting late on Tuesday night. Markets were shuttered, streets stood empty, and the usual chaos was replaced by a silent, heavily guarded atmosphere. Movement was permitted only for emergencies, leaving migrant workers and long-term residents confined indoors.
A construction worker from Aligarh, who had lived in the area for over a decade, mentioned there was talk of a possible demolition a day earlier. "We usually sleep inside the shop itself. After the announcements, we did not step out. Since our shop is very close to the site, we heard all the noise through the night," he said. By afternoon, debris-clearing operations continued as the neighbourhood awaited a return to normalcy, its lanes still sealed and monitored.
