Block A of JJ Colony in Uttam Nagar’s Hasthsal village had witnessed a peaceful Holi on March 4. In the evening, 26-year-old Tarun Kumar left home to meet his friends. That was the last time he saw his family. Hours later, while he was parking his bike near his home, he was attacked with rods, hockey sticks, cricket bats and a stone slab, and left to die on the road.It all started around 10.30 pm, when a water balloon, with which Tarun’s 11-year-old cousin was playing, accidentally slipped from her hand and fell on the ground from the third floor of her house.The water splashed on a woman who lives in the neighbourhood, leading to an argument between Tarun’s and the woman’s families, both belonging to different communities.Soon, the argument turned into a scuffle, as family members from both sides gathered and started pushing each other. According to the police, members of both families attacked each other, leading to injuries on both sides.Tarun’s uncle, Ramesh Butolia, who received stitches on his head and suffered a fracture in his left hand in the fight, told The Indian Express that they was beaten with rods and sticks. “We apologised to the woman and her family members, but they kept abusing us. They even used casteist slurs against us,” he added.Memraj, Tarun’s father, said he and his wife hid inside the house to save themselves from the attack. “While we were inside our house, the attackers stood outside and kept abusing us… They had rods in their hands. This went on for at least 10-15 minutes. Around 11 pm, my son returned. While he was parking his bike outside our lane before entering home, he was attacked with rods and bricks,” he added.“While they were beating him, they locked us from outside… We did not know that he was being beaten up… There were many of them… Tarun’s blood is still visible on the wall of a house near which they assaulted him,” said Memraj.Story continues below this adDCP (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said that on March 4, family members from both sides had exchanged blows on the street. “Three persons from one side and five the other sustained injuries, including Tarun who was attacked later. Except Tarun, the rest were discharged the same day.” Tarun was declared dead the next day.Police said sections under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been added to the FIR registered in the case. “Reportedly, the two families knew each other for the last five decades and fought on trivial issues like parking and garbage disposal, among others,” said the DCP.Based on a complaint filed by Tarun’s family, six persons – Umardeen (49), Jummadeen (36), Kamruddin (36), Mustaque (46), Muzzaffar (25) and Tahir (18) — were arrested, while one juvenile was apprehended. Police said Umardeen and his relatives, who all live in Block A, are involved in the dyeing business.On March 5, as news of Tarun’s death spread, Umardeen’s family and the other accused fled after locking their houses by afternoon. The next day, a car parked outside the residence of one of the accused was set on fire by a mob. In the evening, a group of people belonging to a right-wing political outfit gathered near Uttam Nagar Metro station and blocked the road, demanding strict punishment for the accused. The police dispersed them using minor force.Story continues below this adA family member of Umardeen told The Indian Express that a car and two two-wheelers parked outside their locked houses were vandalised late Friday. Later, additional police forces were called in and the locality was cordoned off.The DCP said, “We have made adequate arrangements to avoid any further incident. We have divided the locality into three sections — zones, sectors, and sub-sectors. The zones are being supervised by DCP-rank officers, the sectors by ACP-level officers, and the sub-sectors are managed by inspectors and sub-inspectors,” he added.On Saturday, the locality remained on the edge with two companies of paramilitary forces, along with local police, on guard. Police have barricaded all the lanes leading to Block A. In the morning, police and paramilitary personnel held a flag march in the area while many shops in blocks A, B and C remained closed.WHAT HAPPENED ON MARCH 410.30 pm: Balloon thrown on the ground from third floor of a building; a woman is splashed with colours. Argument breaks out between two families staying in the area.Story continues below this ad10.40 pm: Verbal sapt turns into scuffle, involving both men and women. It continues for a few minutes, following which people from both groups return to their houses.11 pm: Tarun, on his way back home on a two-wheeler, attacked outside his house