A 26-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area following a dispute triggered by a Holi water balloon incident, police and local residents said.
The victim, identified as Tarun Batolia (26), a resident of JJ Colony in Uttam Nagar, was reportedly attacked by a group of neighbours after a minor altercation earlier in the day. According to reports, the incident began when a young girl from Batolia’s family was playing outside her house and accidentally dropped a water balloon, splashing coloured water on a Muslim woman passing by.
This led to an argument between the woman and members of the girl’s family. Though the matter appeared to calm down initially, tensions resurfaced later in the evening.
Tarun’s father, Memraj, said the family had no previous enmity with the accused, who lived in the same neighbourhood. He alleged that when Tarun was returning home after playing Holi, several men surrounded him and attacked him with sticks and stones.
“They beat him with sticks and when he fell to the ground, they hit him with stones. His condition became critical,” Memraj said. Tarun was taken to a hospital in Janakpuri, where doctors declared him dead on Thursday.
Two other people were also seriously injured in the violence.
Following the incident, angry locals staged a protest outside the Uttam Nagar police station demanding justice. Tensions escalated further when some people allegedly vandalised vehicles outside the accused’s residence.
Additional DCP (Dwarka) Niharika Bhatt said the clash occurred between neighbours after a Holi balloon was thrown, leading to a fight in which a young man later died. She confirmed that individuals named in the FIR have been detained and further investigation is underway.
Police teams were deployed in the area to control the situation and prevent further escalation.
