India, March 21 -- The atmosphere In the narrow lanes of Hastsal village in Uttam Nagar is heavy ahead of Eid on Saturday, stripped of the usual festive buzz scene in the area. Just weeks after a clash on Holi that led to the murder of 26-year-old Tarun Kumar, residents narrated a sense of uneasy quiet in the area enforced by a heavy police presence.

Eighteen-year-old Vaishali Kumar stood outside her home selling sevvaiyyan, the fine vermicelli synonymous with Eid-ul-Fitr.

"It's very unfortunate what happened. Every year, my parents sell sevvaiyyan worth Rs.10,000 a day in the run-up to Eid. This year, we have been selling around Rs.3,500 a day. People from nearby areas are not coming to this market out of fear," she said.

For 7-year-o...