Man killed in clash over stray splash of colour during Holi celebration in southwest Delhi

A 26-year-old man was killed in an alleged clash between two families in JJ Colony area in Uttam Nagar area of southwest Delhi during Holi celebrations, an official said on Thursday.

Preliminary information suggests the dispute was triggered by a stray splash from a balloon filled with coloured water, they said.

The deceased was identified as Tarun, who succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a hospital, she said.

According to the police, the incident was reported on Wednesday when a fight broke out between members of two families in the locality. Several people from both sides sustained injuries in the clash.

Family members of the deceased said an 11-year-old girl who was playing Holi at the terrace of the house threw a water balloon at her relatives below. The balloon fell on the road and burst, splashing some coloured water onto a woman from the other family, which belongs to a different community.

According to Tarun’s grandfather, Maan Singh, the woman allegedly began hurling abuses and picked a fight over the incident. He claimed that although the matter appeared to have subsided, members of the other family later gathered and allegedly assaulted Tarun when he was returning home after celebrating Holi.

“They thrashed Tarun brutally. When he was lying on the road, a big stone was thrown on his chest,” Singh alleged.

Tarun was rushed to a hospital where he later died during treatment, police said.

“We also got to know that the fight stemmed up from throwing balloons, and we are investigating the matter. We have registered an FIR and apprehended some people. Further investigation is underway,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Niharika Bhatt told reporters.

The injured persons from both families are undergoing treatment. Investigators are examining statements of witnesses and reviewing other evidence to determine the sequence of events that led to the fatal clash, police said.