Two groups clash in Sadar Bazar over loud music

A confrontation over playing of loud music by a disc jockey at a private function past midnight on Tuesday led to two groups pelting stones and bottles at each other in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, police said.

Police said the clash left only one person with a “minor” injury, but local residents claimed at least five youngsters from the two groups were hurt. The rioters also torched two motorcycles.

The police registered a case of causing hurt and rioting and deployed a large number of its personnel in the neighbourhood marked by narrow lanes. No one was arrested until Wednesday.

“We are maintaining a vigil and have called a meeting of the local peace committee to ensure peace,” said Jatin Narwal, deputy commissioner of police (north). On Wednesday, the local markets were abuzz with activity.

The clash occurred around 1 am in Jatan Gali in Sadar Bazar. “This neighbourhood has been witnessing communal tension for three decades,” said Shehzad Khan, a local businessman. A police check post has been in place for years, barely metres from the latest clash spot.

The DCP said the clash was triggered by loud music being played by a local DJ at a home. This claim was contested by one of the groups that alleged that a drunken revelry led to the clash.

The house where the music was being played belonged to Vaibhav Verma, a 22-year-old builder who was married last month. “Verma had a court marriage with a woman who had eloped from her home,” said Verma’s grandfather, Sansar Singh.

“We decided to throw a reception on Wednesday. The ‘sangeet’ ceremony was on Tuesday night and the men were celebrating elsewhere. We hired a DJ to entertain the women at home,” said Singh.

He alleged that the problem began when a group of young men visited his home around 12.30 am on Wednesday and asked the music to be stopped as it was past midnight. “When we objected, around half-a-dozen of them tried to storm the house, saying they would dance with our women,” alleged Verma’s grandmother, Shyamvati.

The confrontation that ensued soon turned into a free-for-all. Verma too was injured in the stone-pelting, but he is out of danger and his reception would happen as scheduled, said his grandfather.

The other group narrated a different tale. “Over a dozen youngsters from the family indulging in celebrations were openly drinking and creating a ruckus. They were making loud noises with their Bullet motorcycles. When asked to get back to their homes, they responded by hurling bottles and stones,” alleged Zia Qureshi, a local resident.

“They raised slogans against us. Some of our youngsters too pelted stones in return, but we controlled them and called the police who stopped the situation from escalating,” said an elderly resident, Shafiuddin Qureshi.