Four more people were arrested and booked for murder on Friday, taking the total arrests to eight, two days after a 26-year-old man was killed during clashes between two families from different communities in Uttam Nagar's JJ colony over a water-filled balloon thrown by a minor girl during Holi celebrations, police said.
Tensions, meanwhile, continued for the third day in the locality, with protesters torching two vehicles and smashing the windows of two others, police said.
According to officials, the incident that led to the eventual clashes took place around 10.30pm on Wednesday when an 11-year-old girl from a Hindu family was celebrating Holi on her terrace, throwing water balloons at people below.
One of these balloons hit a Muslim woman, who raised an objection. An altercation escalated into a violent clash during which both sides assaulted each other, according to investigators privy to the case details.
At least four people, three from the Hindu family, were injured. Tarun Kumar, 26, succumbed to his injuries Thursday morning.
His family alleged in their complaint to the police that he was “waylaid” by neighbours who assaulted with bats, sticks, and stones.
On Friday, communal tension simmered as members of a Hindu political outfit allegedly committed arson in the area in protest.
Around 2pm, a group of protesters shouting slogans against the Muslim community set fire to two vehicles, said senior police officers.
Officials from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed a call from the scene, finding a car and motorcycle gutted.
