A young girl throwing a water balloon filled with colors and a woman objecting to it sparked a large-scale quarrel, which led to the killing of a 26-year-old man in the Uttam Nagar area of Delhi recently. The incident caused a huge uproar in the area, as demonstrators burned two cars and smashed the windows of two other cars.
As the unrest continued, heavy security deployment, including the stationing of Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, was seen in Uttam Nagar on Saturday morning.
The ruckus started on the night of Holi on March 4 at JJ Colony in Uttam Nagar. An 11-year-old girl from a Hindu family reportedly threw water balloons at people from the balcony of her house. One of these balloons injured a Muslim woman, which strongly objected to her, which later developed into a violent clash between two families.
As HT reported earlier, three people from a Hindu family were injured after the two sides assaulted each other, and Tarun Kumar, 26, succumbed to his injuries.
Tarun is ‘tripped’ by neighbours
After his death on Thursday morning, a day after the violent quarrel, Tarun’s family claimed that neighbors “chased” him and attacked him with bats, sticks and stones.
Tarun’s family also said they apologized after the 11-year-old girl’s balloon burst on the ground and water splashed on the burqa she was wearing. “She apologized and even made the 11-year-old apologize,” said Ramesh, Tarun’s uncle. “What else could we do?”
According to his relative, Tarun returned home half an hour after the fight and was “attacked” even before he could park his bike. Apart from Tarun, Ramesh and the victim’s grandfather Man Singh were also injured.
Past clashes between families
Both families involved in the dispute hail from Rajasthan. According to Singh, they have known each other since the late 1960s, when they lived in the slums near Uttam Nagar before later moving to Hatsal Colony.
However, a senior police officer told HT, on condition of anonymity, that families always had fights and quarrels over trivial matters. “It is not entirely a community issue. Families were always fighting over garbage, water, parking and other trivial issues. They also fight physically and later settle the issues. We are still investigating all the angles,” the officer said.
Tarun’s relative Ramesh also alleged that there had been previous encounters with the same family. “This is not the first time. They attacked us during Holi about 12 years ago.”
Read also: Holi horror in Nagpur: Woman throws hot water on her grandson to splash color on her | On camera
Vehicles were burnt and roads were blocked in Uttam Nagar district after Hindu outfits like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad sought justice for Tarun and action against those responsible for his murder. A murder case was registered after Tarun’s death and eight arrests have been made so far in the case.
