As the probe into the Turkman Gate violence and stone-pelting has intensified, 10 social media influencers have come on the radar of the Delhi police in connection with the incident. India Today reported that 10 social media influencers have been detained by the Delhi Police, while some other media sources stated that a list of 10 social media influencers has been prepared, and they have been called for questioning.
The name of a woman social media influencer, Aiman Rizvi, is also on the list. According to police, these social media influencers were spreading fake news regarding the demolition drive carried out on 7th January near Turkman Gate’s Faiz-e-Ilahi mosque. However, Aiman Rizvi denied receiving any summons from the police.
“The entire incident happened on January 6, around 12.30 am. I was attending a wedding and posted the video around 4 am. In the video, I did not ask anyone to mobilise near the mosque. I only shared information that something had happened in the vicinity of the mosque,” Rizvi told PTI. Rizvi reportedly described herself as a social worker and said that if she receives summons, she would cooperate in the investigation.
Three more persons have been arrested by the Delhi police in connection with the Turkman Gate violence, taking the total number of arrests to 16, as confirmed by the police on Saturday (9th January). The three arrestees have been identified as Mohd. Naved, Mohd. Faiz and Mohd. Ubaidullah. The police said that the three accused were involved in stone pelting on police personnel. They were identified through CCTV footage and video clips going viral on social media. Other arrested individuals have been identified as Mohd Arib, Mohd Kashif, Mohd Kaif, Mohd Adnan, Sameer Hussain, Mohd Athar, Shahnawaz Alam, Mohd Imran, Mohd Imran alias Raju, Mohd Affan, Mohd Adil, Mohd Aamir Hamza and Mohd Ubaidullah. Police on Thursday (8th January) said that 30 individuals had been identified for their involvement in the violence.
A demolition drive was conducted to remove encroachment near Turkman Gate in Old Delhi, in the wee hours of 7th January, in compliance with a Delhi High Court order. Several meetings were held by the police with the members of the Aman Committee and local stakeholders to maintain peace during the demolition drive. However, violence broke out during the demolition drive, and a violent mob pelted stones at the police and the MCD officials. Several police personnel sustained injuries in the attack, including Head Constable Jai Singh and Constable Vikram Ravindra. The injured were taken for medical treatment, following which a case was registered.
