New Delhi, March 5 A 26-year-old man was killed in what is alleged to be a clash between two families in the JJ Colony area of Uttam Nagar in southwest Delhi during Holi celebrations, officials said on Thursday.
Preliminary information suggests that the dispute was triggered by a stray splash from a balloon filled with colored water, they said.
The deceased, identified as Tarun, succumbed to injuries during treatment at a hospital, they added.
According to the police, the incident was reported on Wednesday when a fight broke out between members of two families in the area. Several people from both sides sustained injuries in the clash.
Family members of the deceased said that an 11-year-old girl who was playing Holi on the terrace of the house threw a water balloon at her relatives below. The balloon fell on the road and burst, splashing some colored 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 abuse 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 brutally attacked Tarun. When he was lying on the road, a large stone was thrown at his chest," Singh alleged.
Tarun's uncle, Ramesh, alleged that Tarun had no knowledge of the clash and was returning home when he was attacked.
"The moment he entered the street, some eight to ten people attacked him with sticks, rods, and stones. My nephew had no idea about the fight. But he was still attacked. The accused beat him so badly that he died during treatment. Many others from our family, including myself, also sustained serious injuries," Ramesh alleged.
A woman from the family said that they demanded justice and wanted all those involved in the incident to be arrested urgently.
She also said that the police could check CCTV footage of the entire incident to identify those accused in the killing.
Some family members even threatened to block the roads if the accused were not arrested soon.
Later in the day, members of a Hindu political outfit reached the Uttam Nagar police station and protested against the incident.
"We have learned that the fight stemmed 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 the statements of witnesses and reviewing other evidence to determine the sequence of events that led to the fatal clash, police said.
