The Delhi high court on Wednesday agreed to hear later in the day a petition seeking directions to the Delhi Police to enhance patrolling and security in the Uttam Nagar area following apprehensions of potential violence raised by members of the Muslim community after the murder of a 26-year-old man during Holi, particularly in view of upcoming Eid.
The petition, filed by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), was mentioned by senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishna before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia.
Ramakrishna urged the court to take up the matter urgently, stating that a wide range of threats of violence on Eid had been issued on social media. She submitted that the organisation had approached the police, but no action had been taken. She also pointed out that the festival may fall on Friday or Saturday.
“Wide ranging threats issued for violence on Eid and on social media, meetings have gathered saying ‘Khoon ki holi humm Eid pe khelenge’. We went to the police and the police have not taken any action. We fear serious violence in and around Eid. Look at the kind of posts. So we want urgent directions to the police. It (violence) may be on Friday, that is the fear,” Ramakrishna said.
Taking note of the submissions, the court agreed to list the matter for hearing later in the day.
The tensions stem from a clash between two families that began on March 4, when an 11-year-old girl threw a water balloon from her terrace, which hit a Muslim woman. The altercation escalated into a fight, leaving eight people injured. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, later succumbed to his injuries the following day. An FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.