Uttam Nagar: The Holi clash in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, which led to the death of a Hindu youth, Tarun, has progressed extensively, with the Muslim family’s house being bulldozed in contrast to the police claiming there is no communal angle.
On March 4, an ordinary Holi celebration turned fatal when a dispute broke out between two neighbouring families, who coincidentally happened to be from two communities.
A coloured water balloon splashed on a woman and colour was forcefully applied without her consent. What followed was a brawl between the two families and a quick escalation where both parties suffered severe injuries.
According to the initial information gathered from statements made by Tarun’s family, an altercation began when an 11-year-old from their residence threw a water balloon from the terrace at her relatives below. The balloon fell on the road and burst, splashing coloured water onto a woman from the other family. Tarun’s grandfather, Maan Singh, claimed that the woman had picked a fight and hurled abuses at them. Later, she gathered her family and attacked Tarun, leading to his death.
However, the Muslim family’s sequence of events indicates an entirely different scenario. According to a video statement made by the the family member, the balloon was intentionally splashed on her relative and was filled with garbage water.
“After seeing my aunt getting harassed, my brother and uncle came out of the house and tried talking to them. After a while, Tarun came with a group of people armed with sticks and began hitting them,” the woman said in a video statement.
House bulldozed, family members in jail
Following the violent dispute, Maan Singh had earlier called for justice and said, “We want the Yogi (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) bulldozer model to be used. Their unauthorised houses should be demolished and all illegal extensions removed.”
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, on Sunday, March 8, carried out the said demolition drive and razed “illegal” portions of their house.
However, the woman said their house was targeted for their identity, and only one side of the incident was being shown in the media. “Yeh koi baat hoti hai kisi ke ghar pe aise bulldozer chalani ki? (Is this any way to just run a bulldozer over someone’s house like that?),” she said.
“Log mehnat se ghar banate hai. Kuch toh socho, insaniyat rakhe. Kaha ka kanoon hai yeh joh police ke same ghar thoda jaara hai. Police kuch nahi kar rahi hai (People build homes with a lot of hard work. Have some consideration; show some humanity. What kind of law is this, where a house is being demolished right in front of the police? The police are doing nothing).”
She added that her family members have all been taken to Tihar jail, while her brother was kidnapped and his whereabouts are still unknown.
“My brother was kidnapped and I don’t know where he is. Other family members are being tortured in custody. Their hands are broken, everyone has been taken to Tihar jail,” she said.
The Delhi Police said that six people and a minor have been apprehended so far. Provisions of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and murder charges have been added to the first information report (FIR).
The woman also said that Tarun was reportedly hit by one of his own members who thought he was from her family. “We had no weapons. How would we even hit him?” She continued that her relatives are currently in an extremely critical condition and are being denied any treatment.
Police denies communal angle
Meanwhile, the Dwarka Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kushal Pal Singh, on Sunday, clarified that Tarun’s death was due to an argument on Holi and had no communal angle.
“On March 4, we received information regarding a clash between two families, eight people were injured in the incident, and one of them died during treatment on March 5,” he said.
“Singh’s family has revealed some names, based on which we are checking the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage, and once we have evidence against the suspects, we will arrest them,” he added. The DCP also clarified that Tarun was beaten with a stick and not stabbed with a knife.
The two families had reportedly known each other for the past five decades and got into rows over parking and garbage disposal, among other things, the police said.
Heavy security deployed since clash
The killing had sparked anger among residents and Hindutva groups, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, who staged massive protests in the locality. An agitated mob even damaged vehicles and set some of them on fire on March 6, prompting authorities to increase security deployment across the area.
“Companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the area, along with additional forces drawn from the western range of the Delhi Police, including personnel from the outer and west districts,” the DCP said.
Senior police officers said the area has been divided into zones, sectors and sub-sectors to ensure effective monitoring and to maintain law and order.
Police personnel could be seen patrolling the lanes of the locality and making announcements through loudspeakers, appealing to residents to remain calm and not pay heed to rumours.
Authorities said strict vigil is being maintained to ensure that no attempt is made to disturb communal harmony or the law and order situation in the area.
Locals said neighbourhood lived in harmony for years
Residents said the heavy deployment of security forces and barricading in several lanes have discouraged people from visiting the markets.
Many shopkeepers said the timing of the disruption has severely impacted their business as the Eid season is typically one of the busiest periods of the year. Some residents also emphasized that the area has historically witnessed peaceful coexistence among different communities.
A section of locals said that people in the neighbourhood have lived together in harmony for decades and it was wrong to give the incident a communal colour.
“The unfortunate clash between the two families should not be used to disturb the communal harmony that has existed in the locality for years,” a local said.
However, the tension remains palpable. Police sources said some political leaders were stopped from visiting the victim’s family in view of the prevailing law and order situation.
