New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- A crowd gathered outside the Uttam Nagar police station after a key witness in the killing of 26-year-old Tarun Butolia during a clash on Holi alleged that he was assaulted by a relative of the accused. Delhi Police on Tuesday, however, termed the assault as "rumours" and said the situation in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar was normal and that no untoward incident had taken place. A PCR call regarding the alleged assault was received late Monday night, following which the SHO and police staff reached the spot and assessed the situation, DCP (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.

The police officer said a crowd had gathered due to "rumours" circulating in the area but the situation was found to be normal on verification. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, he said. The crowd had gathered outside Uttam Nagar police station after Tarun's uncle, who has claimed to be a witness in the case, alleged that he was assaulted by a relative of one of the accused, people familiar with the matter said. The witness alleged that he was returning from work when Golu, a relative of an accused, and another person assaulted him and asked him not to testify or pursue the case.

He claimed that he suffered injuries in the alleged assault and was taken for medical examination.

Tarun Butolia was allegedly beaten to death with sticks, bats and rods on March 4 following a dispute during Holi celebrations in the Hastal area. The altercation allegedly began after a coloured water balloon thrown by a minor from Tarun's family landed on a woman from another community and splashed water on her clothes, triggering communal tension in the area. More than 18 people, including two minors, were named in the police chargesheet in connection with the murder case.

The alleged assault claimed by Tarun's uncle comes ahead of a Juvenile Justice Board hearing concerning the age of the main accused in the murder case. The SDM has rejected a 2011 birth certificate that was the basis of his being tried as a juvenile, according to Tarun's family.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.