A plea has been filed before the Delhi High Court raising concerns about rising communal tension in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar after the murder of a 26-year-old Hindu man during Holi.

The petition was filed by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), which has warned that there are threats of violence in the area during the upcoming Eid festival.

The matter was heard before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia seeking an urgent hearing.

Appearing for APCR, Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan told the court that messages and meetings circulating on social media are allegedly threatening that a “khoon ki holi” (Holi of blood) will be played on Eid.

She said the organisation had approached the police about these threats, but no action had been taken so far. She urged the court to issue urgent directions to the police as there is a fear of serious violence around Eid.

After hearing the submission, the court agreed to list the matter for hearing later in the day.

The plea refers to an incident that took place on March 4. According to reports, an 11-year-old girl, who is the cousin of the victim Tarun Bhutolia, had thrown a water balloon from the terrace of her house towards a family member. The balloon hit the ground and accidentally splashed a woman who was passing by.

The woman reportedly scolded the girl and left. Later that evening, however, she and some of her family members allegedly confronted Bhutolia while he was returning home and beat him, leading to his death.

Since the woman and her family members are Muslims, the incident later took on a communal angle in the area.

On March 8, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi demolished certain “illegal portions” of a house linked to one of the accused.

When this action was challenged before the High Court, the civic body said the structure was built on encroached land. The court, however, orally asked the MCD not to carry out any further demolition.