As people celebrated Holi on March 4 by throwing colour on each other, tragedy struck 26-year-old Tarun’s family in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar as a verbal duel with his neighbours escalated quickly and turned into violent clashes that ultimately ended with his death.
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While the family is grappling 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. A car and a motorcycle were also set ablaze by angry protesters.
The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad members staged a protest under the Uttam Nagar East metro station as they demanded strict action against those involved in Tarun’s killing, police said.
Dispute over colour balloon turned deadly
Tarun succumbed to injuries after a clash between two families, reportedly from different communities, broke out during Holi celebrations on Wednesday. The family of the deceased alleged that the dispute started when an 11-year-old girl was playing Holi from the terrace of a house in the JJ Colony and threw a water balloon at her relatives below.
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However, the coloured water from the balloon splashed on a woman, triggering an altercation between the two sides. The verbal duel soon escalated into a violent clash and several people on both sides suffered injuries, according to the police.
Tarun’s grandfather Maan Singh was quoted as saying that the woman began hurling abuses and picked a fight after the colour was splashed on her. Singh was among the family members who sustained injuries in the attack, while Tarun was grievously injured and later died at a hospital during treatment.
What the family said
Singh said that while it initially appeared that the matter had been resolved, the woman gathered members of her family and the community as well and attacked them while playing Holi. Tarun was attacked when he was returning home, his grandfather said. His uncle, Ramesh, claimed that he had no idea about the dispute.
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“The moment he entered the street, some eight to 10 people attacked him with sticks, rods and stones. My nephew had no idea about the fight, but he was still attacked. They thrashed him so badly that he died during treatment,” Ramesh was quoted as saying.
Protest and demand for justice
Anguished over Tarun’s death, his family members, joined by other local residents, staged protests outside the Uttam Nagar police station on Thursday as they demanded action against the those involved in Tarun’s killing.
Police sources said protesters had gathered in large numbers and gheraoed the police station for several hours on Thursday and Friday.
Police have so far arrested four people and apprehended a juvenile in connection with the killing. Police said they are examining CCTV footage from the area and recording statements of witnesses to establish the exact sequence of events.
“We got to know that the fight stemmed from throwing balloons. We have registered an FIR, arrested four and apprehended one juvenile. Further investigation is underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.
Police said security will remain heightened in the locality and strict vigil is being maintained. They also appealed to residents to maintain peace and not pay heed to rumours.
Police said additional personnel will remain deployed in the area until the situation returns to complete normalcy.
Several protesters sat on the road and raised slogans in the busy locality. Long queues of vehicles were seen stretching on both sides of the road, as the agitation continued for hours.