Delhi: Man killed in fight over loud music

A 29-year-old man was killed and his two brothers were seriously injured after they were attacked and stabbed, allegedly by five-six members of a family living in their neighbourhood, in northwest Delhi’s Sarai Pipal Thala following an altercation over “playing loud music” on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Four alleged attackers were apprehended while one or two are still untraceable. All suspects belong to the same family. A case of murder was registered at the Mahendra Park police station, the police said.

Since the two families belong to different communities and there were apprehensions that the incident may lead to communal tension, police were deployed in the neighbourhood.

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“There is no communal angle in the incident. It was a fight between two families living in the same neighbourhood over playing loud music,” additional deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Vikram Harimohan Meena said.

The Delhi Police in a statement issued in the evening said the police control room received a call at 3.15 pm regarding a quarrel at a slum in Sarai Pipal Thala near the Adarsh Nagar Metro station’s gate number 4.

A police team reached there and learnt that three brothers had been attacked with sharp weapons by five-six members of another family. The injured were taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital.

One of persons identified as Sushil Chand,29, was declared brought dead at the hospital while his two injured brothers – Sunil and Anil – were out of danger.

Anil’s statement was later recorded and both the injured were shifted to Safdarjung hospital for further treatment, the statement read.

Locals told the police that Sushil Chand was sitting outside his home while loud music was being played inside. Around 3 pm, a family in the neighbourhood objected to the music. An altercation ensued and both the families started fighting, a police officer associated with the case said, requesting anonymity.

“Five-six members of the neighbouring family stabbed Sushil and his two brothers multiple times with knives and fled. The victim’s family alleged that the suspects had planned the crime and loud music was just an excuse. We are verifying the sequence of events,” the officer said. Sushil and his brothers sold blankets on the road.

Around a fortnight ago, communal tension gripped a neighbourhood in northwest Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, not far from the spot of Tuesday’s incident, following the murder of 19-year-old Delhi University student, Rahul Rajput, who was beaten to death by the family and friends of an 18-year-old woman he was dating.

The matter took a political colour as various political parties came in support of the victim’s family and demanded justice for Rajput. At least six people, including the woman’s brothers, were apprehended in the case.