diff --git a/index-scheduler/src/batch.rs b/index-scheduler/src/batch.rs
index 76933343d..fc406bd1e 100644
--- a/index-scheduler/src/batch.rs
+++ b/index-scheduler/src/batch.rs
@@ -440,7 +440,13 @@ impl IndexScheduler {
 
                 Ok(vec![task])
             }
-            Batch::IndexDeletion { index_uid, tasks } => todo!(),
+            Batch::IndexDeletion { index_uid, tasks } => {
+                let wtxn = self.env.write_txn()?;
+                // The write transaction is directly owned and commited here.
+                let index = self.index_mapper.delete_index(wtxn, &index_uid)?;
+
+                todo!("update the tasks and mark them as succeeded");
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/index-scheduler/src/index_mapper.rs b/index-scheduler/src/index_mapper.rs
index 1f786c5f8..00335609c 100644
--- a/index-scheduler/src/index_mapper.rs
+++ b/index-scheduler/src/index_mapper.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 use std::collections::hash_map::Entry;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
-use std::fs;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
-use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock};
+use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock, RwLockWriteGuard};
+use std::{fs, thread};
 
+use log::error;
 use milli::Index;
 use uuid::Uuid;
 
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ use milli::heed::types::{SerdeBincode, Str};
 use milli::heed::{Database, Env, EnvOpenOptions, RoTxn, RwTxn};
 use milli::update::IndexerConfig;
 
+use self::IndexStatus::{Available, BeingDeleted};
 use crate::{Error, Result};
 
 const INDEX_MAPPING: &str = "index-mapping";
@@ -19,9 +21,10 @@ const INDEX_MAPPING: &str = "index-mapping";
 pub struct IndexMapper {
     // Keep track of the opened indexes and is used
     // mainly by the index resolver.
-    index_map: Arc<RwLock<HashMap<Uuid, Index>>>,
+    index_map: Arc<RwLock<HashMap<Uuid, IndexStatus>>>,
 
-    // Map an index name with an index uuid currentl available on disk.
+    // TODO create a UUID Codec that uses the 16 bytes representation
+    // Map an index name with an index uuid currently available on disk.
     index_mapping: Database<Str, SerdeBincode<Uuid>>,
 
     base_path: PathBuf,
@@ -29,6 +32,16 @@ pub struct IndexMapper {
     indexer_config: Arc<IndexerConfig>,
 }
 
+/// Weither the index must not be inserted back
+/// or it is available for use.
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub enum IndexStatus {
+    /// Do not insert it back in the index map as it is currently being deleted.
+    BeingDeleted,
+    /// You can use the index without worrying about anything.
+    Available(Index),
+}
+
 impl IndexMapper {
     pub fn new(
         env: &Env,
@@ -47,8 +60,8 @@ impl IndexMapper {
 
     /// Get or create the index.
     pub fn create_index(&self, wtxn: &mut RwTxn, name: &str) -> Result<Index> {
-        let index = match self.index(wtxn, name) {
-            Ok(index) => index,
+        match self.index(wtxn, name) {
+            Ok(index) => Ok(index),
             Err(Error::IndexNotFound(_)) => {
                 let uuid = Uuid::new_v4();
                 self.index_mapping.put(wtxn, name, &uuid)?;
@@ -57,12 +70,60 @@ impl IndexMapper {
                 fs::create_dir_all(&index_path)?;
                 let mut options = EnvOpenOptions::new();
                 options.map_size(self.index_size);
-                milli::Index::new(options, &index_path)?
+                Ok(milli::Index::new(options, &index_path)?)
             }
-            error => return error,
+            error => error,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Removes the index from the mapping table and the in-memory index map
+    /// but keeps the associated tasks.
+    pub fn delete_index(&self, mut wtxn: RwTxn, name: &str) -> Result<()> {
+        let uuid = self
+            .index_mapping
+            .get(&wtxn, name)?
+            .ok_or_else(|| Error::IndexNotFound(name.to_string()))?;
+
+        // Once we retrieved the UUID of the index we remove it from the mapping table.
+        assert!(self.index_mapping.delete(&mut wtxn, name)?);
+
+        wtxn.commit()?;
+
+        // We remove the index from the in-memory index map.
+        let mut lock = self.index_map.write().unwrap();
+        let closing_event = match lock.insert(uuid, BeingDeleted) {
+            Some(Available(index)) => Some(index.prepare_for_closing()),
+            _ => None,
         };
 
-        Ok(index)
+        drop(lock);
+
+        let index_map = self.index_map.clone();
+        let index_path = self.base_path.join(uuid.to_string());
+        let index_name = name.to_string();
+        thread::spawn(move || {
+            // We first wait to be sure that the previously opened index is effectively closed.
+            // This can take a lot of time, this is why we do that in a seperate thread.
+            if let Some(closing_event) = closing_event {
+                closing_event.wait();
+            }
+
+            // Then we remove the content from disk.
+            if let Err(e) = fs::remove_dir_all(&index_path) {
+                error!(
+                    "An error happened when deleting the index {} ({}): {}",
+                    index_name, uuid, e
+                );
+            }
+
+            // Finally we remove the entry from the index map.
+            assert!(matches!(
+                index_map.write().unwrap().remove(&uuid),
+                Some(BeingDeleted)
+            ));
+        });
+
+        Ok(())
     }
 
     /// Return an index, may open it if it wasn't already opened.
@@ -75,7 +136,8 @@ impl IndexMapper {
         // we clone here to drop the lock before entering the match
         let index = self.index_map.read().unwrap().get(&uuid).cloned();
         let index = match index {
-            Some(index) => index,
+            Some(Available(index)) => index,
+            Some(BeingDeleted) => return Err(Error::IndexNotFound(name.to_string())),
             // since we're lazy, it's possible that the index has not been opened yet.
             None => {
                 let mut index_map = self.index_map.write().unwrap();
@@ -92,11 +154,13 @@ impl IndexMapper {
                         let mut options = EnvOpenOptions::new();
                         options.map_size(self.index_size);
                         let index = milli::Index::new(options, &index_path)?;
-
-                        entry.insert(index.clone());
+                        entry.insert(Available(index.clone()));
                         index
                     }
-                    Entry::Occupied(entry) => entry.get().clone(),
+                    Entry::Occupied(entry) => match entry.get() {
+                        Available(index) => index.clone(),
+                        BeingDeleted => return Err(Error::IndexNotFound(name.to_string())),
+                    },
                 }
             }
         };