Uttam Nagar Holi death: 7 nabbed, including minor; police invoke Dalit atrocity Act

Seven people, including a minor, were apprehended in connection with the death of a 26-year-old man in a clash between two neighbouring families with long-standing disputes during Holi celebrations in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, police said on Saturday.

Provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also added to the FIR on Saturday, they said.

The incident, which took place on March 4, sparked tensions in the area with an angry mob damaging several vehicles and setting them on fire. Protests over the past two days prompted heavy deployment of police and paramilitary personnel in the area.

On Wednesday, around 11.09 pm, a call was made to the Uttam Nagar Police Station, reporting a quarrel between neighbours belonging to different communities in the area’s JJ colony.

The two families had known each other for the past five decades and got into rows over parking and garbage disposal, among other things, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.

“Both families are originally from Rajasthan. Earlier, they used to live in the Rajendra Nagar slum and shifted here after 2004,” Singh said.

An initial inquiry revealed that the dispute began after a girl from one family accidentally threw a water balloon that hit a woman from the other. Soon, both parties came to blows.

The police said eight people sustained injuries in the clash — three from one side and five from the other – and most were discharged from the hospital the same day. Tarun, 26, however, was admitted with serious injuries.

An FIR was initially registered under sections 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and police arrested four people and apprehended one minor.

“On March 5, Tarun succumbed during treatment, following which the section related to murder was added to the case,” the officer said.

With the arrest of two more accused, the total number of people held in this connection has risen to seven, including six adults and a minor, they said.

The accused have been identified as Umardeen, 49, and Jummadeen and Kamruddin, both aged 36. Besides the juvenile, the other three were Mustaque, Muzzafar, and Tahir, aged 46, 25, and 18.

The police warned of action against anti-social elements attempting to give the incident a different colour or disturb law and order.

On Friday, tensions rose in the area when a car and a motorcycle were set on fire, and a protest by Hindu political outfits blocked traffic for several hours, demanding justice for Tarun.

According to police sources, members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad gathered under the Uttam Nagar East Metro Station, blocked the main road, and shouted slogans.

The police used mild force to disperse them after repeated appeals failed to convince them to vacate the road