A tragic incident during Holi celebrations in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar on Wednesday, a 26-year-old man named Tarun Kumar was beaten to death following a dispute sparked by an accidental splash of coloured water from a balloon.
The violence erupted in the JJ Colony area of southwest Delhi during the festival. According to police and family accounts, an 11-year-old girl from Tarun’s family was playing Holi on her terrace and threw a water balloon, aiming at her father below. The balloon fell on the road and splashed water on a woman from a neighbouring Muslim family, leading to an argument between the two households.
The matter was resolved at first after the Hindu family apologised, but tensions escalated later that evening. When Tarun was returning home on his bike after celebrating Holi with a friend, he allegedly stopped by a group of 15 to 20 people belonging to the Muslim community. He was brutally assaulted with iron rods, bricks, stones, and other objects.
When Tarun was being assaulted, his family members and others rushed to the spot to protect him, but they were also beaten by the attackers. Eight people were injured in the clash, including the deceased’s father Memraj and uncle Ramesh.
Tarun sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries on Thursday morning during treatment. Police have confirmed that he died from the injuries inflicted in the attack.
This led to a protest in the area. Locals vandalised the street and smashed the windows of several vehicles. They shouted slogans at the Uttam Nagar police station. After that a police team was deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
The father of the deceased said that the two families didn’t have any prior enmity, and his son was killed just because of an accidental splash of water. He said, “We had no previous enmity. The people who murdered my son live in the neighbourhood. She was splashed with colour from a balloon on Holi. A fight broke out over this, but the matter was settled. We didn’t say anything because the atmosphere at home was wedding-like. When my son was returning home in the evening after playing Holi, they surrounded him alone.”
The Delhi Police registered a case and initially arrested four adults, and a juvenile was also apprehended in connection with the incident. Following Tarun’s death, murder charges under Section 103 have been added to the FIR. Authorities said that the clash was triggered by the balloon incident between members of two families from different communities.
Tarun, a resident of Uttam Nagar, lived with his parents and two elder siblings, a brother and a sister. He was pursuing a course in digital marketing, according to his family.
Both families hail from Rajasthan and have been residing in Uttam Nagar for the past five decades.
