While people were celebrating Holi on March 4 by throwing colors at each other, tragedy struck the family of 26-year-old Tarun in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar as a verbal duel with his neighbors quickly escalated into violent clashes that eventually ended in his death.
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As the family struggles with the loss, massive protests by members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad rocked the area on Friday, blocking traffic for several hours, news agency PTI reported, citing police sources. Angry demonstrators also set fire to a car and a motorcycle.
Police said that members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad staged a protest under the Uttam Nagar East Metro station where they demanded strict action against those involved in Tarun’s murder.
The dispute over the colored balloon turned into a deadly conflict
Tarun succumbed to his injuries after a clash broke out between two families, said to be from different communities, during Holi celebrations on Wednesday. The family of the deceased claimed that the dispute started when an 11-year-old girl was playing holi from the balcony of a house in JJ Colony area and threw a water balloon at her relatives below.
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However, colored water from the balloon splashed on a woman, leading to an altercation between the two sides. The verbal duel quickly escalated into a violent clash and several people on both sides were injured, according to police.
Man Singh, Tarun’s grandfather, was quoted as saying that the woman started hurling insults and a fight broke out after color was thrown at her. Singh was among the family members injured in the attack, while Tarun was seriously injured and later died in hospital during treatment.
What did the family say?
While initially the matter seemed to be resolved, the woman gathered her family members and the community as well and attacked them while playing Holi, Singh said. His grandfather said that Tarun was attacked when he was returning home. His uncle Ramesh claimed that he had no idea about the dispute.
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“The moment he entered the street, eight to ten people attacked him with sticks, rods and stones. My nephew had no idea about the fight, but he was attacked. They beat him so hard that he died during treatment,” Ramesh was quoted as saying.
Protest and demand justice
Due to Tarun’s death, his family members, joined by other local residents, held protests outside Uttam Nagar police station on Thursday where they demanded action against those involved in Tarun’s murder.
Police sources said that demonstrators gathered in large numbers and surrounded the police station for several hours on Thursday and Friday.
So far, police have arrested four people and arrested a juvenile in connection with the murder. Police said they are examining CCTV footage from the area and recording witness statements to determine the exact sequence of events.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said: “We learned that the fight was over throwing of balloons. We have registered an FIR, arrested four and arrested a juvenile. Further investigations are underway.”
Police said that security measures will remain tight in the area and the strict vigil will continue. They also appealed to citizens to maintain calm and not give in to rumours.
Police said additional personnel will remain deployed in the area until the situation returns to normal.
A number of demonstrators sat on the road and raised slogans in the crowded area. Long queues of vehicles were seen stretching on both sides of the road, while the disturbances continued for hours.
