Uttam Nagar murder: Witness alleges assault by accused’s relative; crowds gather at police station

Tarun’s uncle alleged that the accused’s family threatened him against giving his testimony and later assaulted him

Published on: Sep 29, 2026, 14:00:23 IST

By Jignasa Sinha, NEW DELHI

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Dozens of people gathered outside Uttam Nagar police station late Monday night after a witness in the murder of a 26-year-old Tarun Butolia in March this year alleged that he was assaulted by a relative of the accused, police said.

Tarun’s uncle, who has claimed to be a witness in the murder case, alleged that the accused’s family threatened him and assaulted him, leading people to gather outside the police station at about 10- 11pm on Monday.

“I was returning from work when I was surrounded by Golu (family of accused) who slapped me and his associate also tried to hit me. They threatened me, saying I shouldn’t give any testimony. They also asked me to withdraw the case,” he told reporters.

Butolia was attacked with sticks, bats and rods on March 4 after a dispute during Holi celebrations spiralled out of control. The altercation began a coloured water balloon thrown by a minor from Butolia’s family during Holi celebrations landed on a woman and splashed water on her clothes and got out of hand.

More than 18 people including two minors were named in the police charge sheet in the case, which had led to communal tensions in the area at the time.

Police said additional personnel had been deployed in the area and the situation was normal.

“A PCR call was received regarding a reported incident in the Uttam Nagar area. The SHO along with police staff immediately reached the spot and assessed the situation,” Dwarka deputy commissioner of police Dwarka Kushal Pal Singh said.

The officer said police had gathered due to rumours circulating in the area. “On verification, the situation was found to be normal and no untoward incident had taken place,” he said.

Police deployed additional staff in the area as a precautionary measure and appealed to people not to believe or circulate unverified information and rumours.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jignasa Sinha
Jignasa Sinha is a Special Correspondent at Hindustan Times in New Delhi. With more than six years of reporting experience, she covers crime and policing in the national capital. Her beats also include Delhi prisons, the Delhi Fire Services and Delhi courts, while she regularly reports on gender, labour and social justice. Over the course of her career, Jignasa has reported on major criminal investigations, international crime syndicates, high-profile cyber fraud cases, law-and-order developments, protests, disasters and public institutions. Her reporting combines breaking news with in-depth, long form, human interest stories that examine the human impact of public policy, policing and the criminal justice system. In addition to reporting for the newspaper, she contributes to the Hindustan Times website and app, and plays an active role in coordinating on-ground coverage of major developments and breaking news across Delhi. Before joining Hindustan Times, Jignasa worked at The Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi, where she spent five years covering crime, Delhi airport, courts and health. She began her journalism career as an intern at an AI magazine in Bengaluru while pursuing her postgraduate diploma in multimedia journalism at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines, and real-time updates from across the nation. Stay informed on politics, government policies, crime, weather, and major national developments.