The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* 

Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement. 

Markets are closed and strict surveillance has been imposed on people entering or leaving neighbourhoods. Barricades have been set up at almost every street corner. According to Dwarka DCP Kushal Pal Singh, more than 150 barricades have been installed in the area. With Eid approaching, a time when markets and neighbourhoods usually bustle with activity and shops remain decorated, an unusual silence prevails.

Reports published around Holi over the years suggest that the number of murders often rises on that day. In both 2023 and 2024, six murders were reported on Holi. An analysis of these incidents shows that many victims were beaten to death or killed using stones, knives, or firearms. In the Uttam Nagar case, however, eight people from both sides—five from one side and three from the other—were injured, and Tarun later died during treatment.

We also see that incidents occurring around us, such as those in Burari or Baljit Nagar, rarely remain in public memory. It is possible that even people living nearby are unaware of them. Yet today, the entire country is discussing the killing in Uttam Nagar.

Why are we not demanding justice for Vijay Upadhyay of Baljit Nagar, who was killed by drunk men because he opposed their drinking? Why are we not standing with Surendra of Aya Nagar, who was shot dead in 2023? The same attackers had killed his brother eight years earlier and had assaulted another brother with sticks and rods just three days before Holi. Why are we not standing with Brijesh Kumar, Nepal Ram, Pintu Yadav, Sonu, and Naveen, migrant workers who had come to Delhi from other states simply to sustain their families but were killed here? Who will now take care of their families?

Why are we remembering only the incident in which sticks and rods were used by both sides and people on both sides were injured? Who benefits from giving an ordinary incident a communal colour?

The Uttam Nagar incident is not a communal clash. It is the outcome of a long-standing dispute between two neighbouring families competing for local dominance. There was no apparent intention to kill; rather, there was a mindset of teaching the other side a lesson. Unlike many other cases, no knives or firearms were used in this conflict.

Both families belong to the working class and have been living on 22.5-square-yard plots in the area since 1969. As families grew, houses were extended vertically and some encroachments occurred. None of the residents had the financial capacity to move elsewhere or purchase a new home. In lanes barely 15 to 20 feet wide, houses stand directly opposite each other, and disputes often arise over who controls more space in the street. Conflicts occur over parking, garbage disposal, or other everyday matters.

Life under conditions of scarcity often pushes people into struggles for dominance over small issues. In a capitalist system, people live with economic insecurity while mentally remaining bound to feudal notions of honour and control. In congested settlements, this struggle over space, respect, and authority can sometimes turn violent. The communalisation of such incidents benefits certain organisations as well as governments, because it shifts attention away from the main issues. This may explain why the Chief Minister of Delhi meets Tarun’s mother but does not consider it necessary to meet the families of the other ten victims mentioned earlier. Incidents like these often become the focus of political discourse, while the city’s real problems—environmental degradation, polluted air, unsafe drinking water, poor roads, unemployment, and lack of social security—fade into the background.

Around 500 people are murdered in Delhi every year. On 23 July 2025, replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated that 2,450 murders took place in Delhi between 2020 and 2024: 472 in 2020, 459 in 2021, 509 in 2022, 506 in 2023, and 504 in 2024. This means that, on average, more than one person is murdered every day in the capital. If we look specifically at Holi, the number appears to be higher than on ordinary days. According to The Times of India, six murders occurred on Holi in 2024. These figures suggest that violence tends to rise during the festival.

Incidents of murder and assault are increasing across the country. One contributing factor is rising unemployment. Economic stress is leading to greater family conflict, pushing many people into anxiety and depression. Anger and frustration are becoming constant features of everyday life. At the same time, sensationalised reporting and propaganda videos are amplifying such incidents and creating an atmosphere that encourages further violence. This is dangerous for any civilised society.

On 17 February in Delhi’s Nand Nagri, a Muslim man was shot dead following a quarrel among children. The incident was largely viewed as an ordinary murder. When we visited the victim’s family, they repeatedly referred to the Uttam Nagar incident. They said that because the victim there was a Hindu, houses were burned and people were arrested. Some even remarked that they too should have reacted in a similar way—that the killer’s house should have been demolished and stones thrown at it.

This shows how a single incident can influence attitudes across communities and shape the mood of society. When society erupts over one event, many other killings and problems are quietly buried.

We must therefore keep asking the question: why only Uttam Nagar? Why do certain incidents dominate the collective consciousness while the voices of other victims fade away? If society truly seeks justice, it must show equal empathy and demand justice for every victim. When a relatively small incident is exaggerated and given a communal colour, it pushes society further down a violent path. If this continues, future generations will bear the consequences. We must ensure that the society we leave for them is just, peaceful, and humane. We must remain vigilant against those who seek to spread poison in society for their own benefit. Their actions must be monitored and opposed at every step. We must stand not only for Tarun, but for every person who faces injustice and violence.

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*Social worker and journalist