How a clash between two families on Holi in Delhi became a larger flashpoint

Mar 13, 2026 - 20:00

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On the afternoon of March 4, the day of Holi, an argument broke out in a narrow lane in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar after a water balloon thrown by a child landed on a woman from a neighbouring family. The argument soon spiralled into a clash between the two families that ended in the death of a 26-year-old man.

Since he was Hindu and the neighbours were Muslim, Hindutva groups jumped in the fray, alleging that his murder was a communal hate crime. Over the next few days, 16 men from the Muslim family were arrested and a portion of their house was demolished by local authorities.

Was this a clash between two families or something much larger? Scroll went to Uttam Nagar to find out....