New Delhi: A visit to watch a Durga immersion procession ended in tragedy for a 16-year-old grade 9 student in northwest Delhi’s Pitampura on Tuesday (October 20) evening. Identified as Arun, the boy was allegedly stabbed several times when he tried to intervene during an attack on another youth. The police have arrested four minors in connection with the killing.
Arun was 16 years old and studying in grade 9.
The attack followed a dispute over a comment on an Instagram post, according to reports. Arun had left home to watch the Durga immersion when was said to have come across the attack on a young man who was allegedly targeted by a group of boys during the procession. The incident took place in the FP Block and PU Block area of Pitampura, where crowds had gathered for the religious procession. Investigators are questioning the minors in conflict to establish the circumstances that led to the stabbing. He stepped in to help his friend, and the attackers turned on him. The group allegedly attacked the boy first, striking him on the leg with a knife. He managed to escape from the spot. Arun, who had intervened during the assault, was then attacked with repeated knife blows. Traffic congestion left him stranded in the area, where the attackers stabbed him several times. Both injured youths were taken to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital. Doctors declared Arun brought dead, while the other boy received treatment for his injuries. The police are investigating the alleged Instagram dispute and the sequence of events that led to the fatal assault. The accused reportedly arrived at the immersion procession wearing masks. After attacking the two youths, they left the spot and allegedly blended into the crowd gathered near the Dussehra ground, where people had assembled for the festival. Local residents suspect that the group had planned the attack in advance and wore masks to avoid being identified in the crowd. The police are going through the available evidence to establish whether the assault was premeditated and what role each accused played. The police are also trying to find out how the attackers escaped through the festival crowd after the stabbing. Investigators have examined CCTV footage from the surrounding locality to trace the suspects and reconstruct their movements. Investigators are working to establish the precise sequence of events, the nature of the dispute over the Instagram comment and whether the accused had planned to target either of the two youths before arriving at the procession.
