Four more people were arrested by the police on Friday (6th March) in connection with the lynching of a 26-year-old Hindu man, Tarun Kumar, in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area. The total number of arrestees in the case has now reached 8, including a minor. Meanwhile, two vehicles were torched amid heightened communal tensions in the area.
As per reports, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said it received a call at 2:02 pm on Friday regarding a fire incident involving a car and a motorcycle in the JJ Colony of Uttam Nagar. The DFS rushed fire engines to the spot and doused the fire. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
The family of Tarun Kumar has demanded a CBI inquiry into his brutal killing by a Muslim mob. The incident happened on Wednesday (4th March), during the festival of Holi. According to police and family accounts, an 11-year-old girl from Tarun’s family was playing Holi on her terrace. She threw a water balloon, aiming at her father, who was standing below. However, the balloon fell on the road and splashed water on a Muslim woman from the neighbourhood, leading to an argument between the two households.
The Hindu family and the girl apologised, and the matter appeared to be resolved. But the tensions escalated when Tarun returned on his bike in the evening after celebrating Holi with a friend. Tarun was stopped by a group of 15 to 20 people belonging to the Muslim community and was brutally assaulted with iron rods, bricks, stones, and other objects. The attackers also beat his family members and others, who rushed to the spot to protect him. Tarun was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.
Teams of police and the CRPF have been deployed in the area to maintain peace.
