Six persons were arrested and a minor detained in connection with the death of a 26-year-old man after a clash that broke out during a Holi celebration in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
The man who died was identified as Tarun Kumar Butolia. He sustained severe injuries in the clash and died while undergoing treatment on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in the JJ Colony area of Hasthsal village. A water balloon accidentally thrown by an 11-year-old girl from the third floor of a building fell on a Muslim woman standing below, triggering an argument between two neighbouring families from different religious communities, the newspaper reported.
The dispute soon escalated into a physical clash, The New Indian Express quoted the police as saying.
Dwarka Deputy Commissioner of Police Kushal Pal Singh said family members from “both sides gathered on the street and exchanged blows”, the newspaper reported.
“Three people from one side and five from the other sustained injuries,” The New Indian Express quoted Singh as saying. “Except one, all the injured were discharged the same day.”
The six persons arrested in the case were identified as: Umardeen, Jummadeen, Kamruddin, Mustaque, Muzzafar and Tahir.
On Sunday, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi demolished a property linked to one of the accused in the case, ANI reported.
There are no provisions in Indian law that allow for the demolition of property as a punitive measure. However, the practice has become commonplace in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states.
In November, 2024, the Supreme Court held as illegal the practice of demolishing properties of persons accused of crimes as a punitive measure.
In the Uttam Nagar incident, the police had initially registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to attempt to commit culpable homicide and common intention, The Hindu reported.
After Butolia’s death, a murder charge was added to the case. Officials also invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act in the first information report, The Indian Express reported.
“Reportedly, the two families knew each other for the last five decades and fought on trivial issues like parking and garbage disposal, among others,” The New Indian Express quoted Singh as saying.
Tensions rose in the area after the incident. Several vehicles were damaged and some were set on fire during protests by residents, leading to deployment of police and paramilitary personnel, The Hindu reported.
The authorities conducted a flag march on Saturday and placed barricades in the locality to maintain law and order, The Indian Express reported. The police have appealed to residents not to spread rumours or give the incident a communal colour.
Meanwhile, Butolia’s family has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, The Times of India reported.
On Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the killing as “extremely heartbreaking and reprehensible” and said that the authorities had been instructed to immediately arrest all those involved and ensure strict action under the law.
“Delhi has a zero-tolerance policy for such heinous criminal and violent incidents,” Gupta said. “Such brutality will not be tolerated at any cost.”
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