A 26-year-old man was beaten to death in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area following a dispute triggered by an accidental splash of coloured water during Holi celebrations on Wednesday, police said.
The victim, identified as Tarun Kumar, was allegedly attacked by a group of people after a water balloon thrown during Holi festivities led to an argument between two neighbouring families in the JJ Colony area of southwest Delhi.
As reported in Times of India, according to police and accounts from the victim’s family, an 11-year-old girl from Tarun’s family was playing Holi on the terrace of her house and threw a water balloon aimed at her father standing below. The balloon fell on the road instead and splashed coloured water on a woman from a neighbouring Muslim family. The incident reportedly triggered an argument between members of the two households.
Family members said the dispute appeared to have been settled after an apology from Tarun’s family earlier in the day. However, tensions escalated later in the evening.
Police said Tarun was returning home on his motorcycle after celebrating Holi with a friend when he was allegedly stopped by a group of around 15 to 20 people. The group reportedly assaulted him with iron rods, bricks, stones and other objects.
When Tarun’s relatives and others rushed to intervene, they were also attacked during the clash. Eight people were injured in the violence, including Tarun’s father, Memraj, and his uncle Ramesh, police said.
Tarun sustained critical injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died during treatment on Thursday morning. Police confirmed that his death resulted from injuries sustained in the assault.
Following the incident, tensions rose in the locality and protests broke out. Some residents vandalised parts of the street and damaged the windows of several vehicles. Protesters also gathered outside the Uttam Nagar police station and raised slogans demanding action against those responsible.
Police later deployed additional personnel in the area to maintain law and order.
The victim’s father said the two families had lived in the neighbourhood for years and had no prior disputes. He stated that the confrontation began after the accidental splash of coloured water from the balloon but was initially resolved. According to him, Tarun was returning home in the evening when he was surrounded and attacked.
Delhi Police registered a case in connection with the incident and initially arrested four adults, while a juvenile was also apprehended. After Tarun’s death, murder charges under Section 103 were added to the First Information Report (FIR).
Authorities said the clash stemmed from the earlier balloon incident between members of two families belonging to different communities.
Tarun Kumar lived with his parents and two elder siblings, a brother and a sister, in Uttam Nagar. According to his family, he was pursuing a course in digital marketing.
Both families involved in the dispute originally hail from Rajasthan and have been residing in the Uttam Nagar area for nearly five decades.
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