We respect all religions, but encroachment will not be tolerated: BJP MP on violence during demolition drive near Delhi mosque

New Delhi, Jan 7 Reacting to the stone-pelting incident during a demolition drive near a mosque in Old Delhi, BJP MP Yogender Chandolia on Wednesday said that while all religions are respected, encroachment will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Speaking to IANS, Yogender Chandolia said, “We respect all religions, but encroachment will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Whoever is responsible, there will be no encroachment in Delhi. Whatever action is required must be taken, whether by the police, the municipal corporation, or the Delhi Development Authority. I am not referring to just one area; across the entire city of Delhi, encroachment is absolutely unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Police have detained ten people after registering an FIR in connection with the stone-pelting incident that took place during the demolition drive near a mosque in Old Delhi, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred near the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in the Turkman Gate area, close to Ramlila Ground, where authorities carried out an anti-encroachment operation.

According to officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the demolition drive was undertaken to remove unauthorised structures from land adjacent to the mosque and surrounding areas. The action was carried out in compliance with directions issued by the Delhi High Court on November 12, 2025.

The demolition exercise began in the early hours of Wednesday with a heavy deployment of civic staff and police personnel. Officials said that between 10 and 17 bulldozers were pressed into service during the operation to ensure swift action.

As the demolition commenced, a large number of local residents gathered outside the mosque, raising slogans and protesting against the drive. The situation escalated when some members of the crowd attempted to breach police barricades and started pelting stones at security personnel.

To control the situation and prevent the violence from spreading, police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. Senior police officials later confirmed that the situation was brought under control and additional security was deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.

Reacting to the Uttar Pradesh Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Draft Voter List 2026, BJP MP Yogender Chandolia said that around two crore names have been removed from the voter list in the state. He added that a one-month window has been provided for people to file objections and verify their names at designated centres.

He said the removal of such a large number of names indicates that the voter list had not been updated for a long time.

“However, when a similar exercise is conducted in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacts angrily. This process is unbiased. There is sufficient time for additions or corrections. If required, names will be restored. This exercise is essential as the list may include Rohingyas, deceased persons, or people who have relocated. The Election Commission of India is doing commendable work,” Chandolia added.

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday published the draft electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, showing that there are over 12.55 crore eligible voters in the state, while nearly 2.89 crore names were removed.

Uttar Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer, Navdeep Rinwa, told reporters that during the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll, as many as 2.17 crore voters were found missing or shifted from their registered addresses.

As many as 25.47 lakh electorates were found to be registered at more than one place, he said.

Urging voters whose names are missing in the draft list to fill Form 6, the CEO said that claims and objections can be registered till February 6.

The CEO said during the exercise, 46.23 lakh voters were found to have died since the last exercise. He said 18.70 per cent of voters’ signatures did not come through during the SIR exercise.

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