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‘Riot-like conditions’: Rahul Gandhi targets Centre over Uttam Nagar tensions, urges calm
Rahul condoled the death of a 26-year-old man in clashes between members of two communities which took place on March 4.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday targeted the NDA-led government at the Centre over communal tensions in Uttam Nagar, while urging residents to not “fall for provocation.”
Rahul condoled the death of a 26-year-old man in clashes between members of two communities which took place on March 4. “The people of Uttam Nagar have paid a heavy price for the violence - on one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution,” Rahul said in a post on X.
Rahul said that these families “do not want any more bloodshed,” while alleging that it is what “the BJP and its ecosystem desire.” The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha urged the residents of Delhi to “not fall for any provocation”, while saying that the “strength of the country lies in our unity, brotherhood, and love.”
“Bloodshed is what only the BJP and its ecosystem desire, which seizes every opportunity to bake the bread of violence on the griddle of hate,” Rahul said, while accusing the ruling party of using communal tensions as a distraction.
“They want the country to remain entangled in Hindu-Muslim strife, so that people cannot ask why the Prime Minister is being forced to hand over the country's defense, energy security, food security, and strategic sovereignty to America,” Rahul said, adding that “riot-like conditions” had been “created in the nation's capital.”
Security ramped up in Uttam Nagar amid tensions
The Delhi Police has ramped up security in Dwarka, and specifically in Uttam Nagar, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. This includes multilayered deployments, 100 picket points, police personnel on rooftops, and increased barricading.
Communal tensions have persisted in Uttam Nagar for two weeks after the killing of 26-year-old Tarun Kumar in clashes during Holi celebrations. The clashes erupted after an 11-year-old girl threw a water balloon on Holi that hit a Muslim woman, triggering an altercation between two families.
Following this, police arrested 14 people and apprehended two minors from both communities in connection with the incident. Tensions have continued since then, with social media threats and provocative speeches becoming frequent, locals said, according to an earlier HT report.
