On September 9, 2022. (Friday), Armaan, a 22-year-old man, was killed while four others were injured in an incident of stabbing in northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri area. The victims were identified as Armaan, Monty alias Moin Khan, and Fardeen, and were taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial hospital in the vicinity, police said. The doctors at the hospital declared Armaan as brought dead.
According to the deceased’s relatives, the murder was motivated by Armaan’s participation in the Ganesh Chaturthi idol immersion procession, while the police are saying old enmity, and revenge were the reasons behind it. According to reports, the perpetrators are also members of the Muslim community. So far, three accused have been apprehended.
How did Ganesh Chaturthi get linked to the murder?
While reporting the incident, many media houses referenced Ganesh Chaturthi in connection to Armaan’s murder. They reported that Armaan was stabbed to death during the immersion of Ganesh idol in Mangolpuri. Deceased Armaan’s father and brother had alleged that he was killed because of participating in the celebrations.
According to reports, Salim, Armaan’s father, told the media that the accused suddenly attacked Fardeen (Armaan’s cousin) after seeing gulaal (coloured powder) on his face. The enraged youths accused him of not being a devout Muslim. “What kind of Muslim are you, to put gulaal on your face?” yelled the accused before attacking Fardeen.
“After this, an altercation broke out between them,” Salim said, adding that when Armaan heard the noise, he went out to inquire what had happened. There he found that his brother had been stabbed. Armaan immediately grabbed Farhaan and was rushing him to the hospital, when the accused pulled him from behind and dragged him inside a house, and stabbed him too.
दिल्ली के मंगोलपुरी में गणेश विसर्जन के दौरान आपसी झगड़े में चाक़ू से युवक की हत्या, पुलिस ने मामले में तीन आरोपियों को पकड़ा
— AajTak (@aajtak) September 10, 2022
मृतक के पिता ने आजतक से बात करते हुए बताई पूरी घटना #Crime #Delhi #ATVideo | @ashutoshjourno, @aviralhimanshu pic.twitter.com/jinOrvT4JG
Fardeen, his brother, basically reiterated what his father had said. “They asked me why I wasn’t offering Namaz after noticing gulaal on me. They started abusing me, this led to an altercation between us. They then took out a knife and started attacking me. I also retaliated by pushing them. Many boys from the accused’s gang gathered around us. They then stabbed my brother Armaan,” Fardeen recounted what transpired leading to the death of his brother.
अलीगढ़ की रूबी का मामला आया तब लगा शायद लाइमलाइट स्टंट है लेकिन मंगोलपुरी मर्डर दिल दहलाने वाला है#Delhi pic.twitter.com/FKo0mC3QI9
— Alok Kumar (@dmalok) September 10, 2022
According to media reports, the youths who were attacked were identified as Armaan, Monty alias Moin Khan, and Fardeen while the perpetrators were Shahrukh, Sheikh Sameer, Vineet, Saif, Karan Badshah, Ajay, Sabir, and Shabir. On the basis of the statements of the deceased’s father and brother, Vinod Bansal, national spokesperson of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organizations raised questions on the alleged ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’.
दिल्ली के मंगोलपुरी में गणेश पूजा में सामिल होने पर अरमान की जिहादियों ने चाकुओं से गोद कर हत्या..
— विनोद बंसल Vinod Bansal (@vinod_bansal) September 10, 2022
क्या यही है ‘हिंदू मुस्लिम भाईचारा’ ‘गंगा-जमुनी’??
Minor bike accident was the root cause of the dispute
In another video, Fardeen, brother of the deceased Armaan, is heard saying that the root cause of this whole dispute is a minor bike accident. He said, “I was going on the vehicle, and I used the horn but the accused did not move even after seeing me.” According to Fardeen, the bike touched the hand of one of the accused which is when the accused started gathering people on the spot. Fardeen also said that the accused would often roam around in groups and tease the girls. Fardeen also repeated the fact about the gulaal colours played during the Ganesh Utsav.
Moin, another injured, said the number of attackers was between 10 to 15. Moin has also cited a bike accident as the reason for the controversy. The injured Moin is the cousin of the deceased Armaan.
Amidst all these statements, a video of the murder incident has surfaced. This video has been made from the opposite house to the one where the incident took place. The video maker is also crying as she saw the attack. At the same time, the other woman tells her, “He is not somebody from your house.”
मंगोलपुरी गणेश विसर्जन से लौटे युवक की चाकू से गोदकर हत्या, लोग तमाशबीन रहे, जो महिला वीडियो बना रही, वह भी वारदात देख रो रहे किसी फैमिली मेंबर को यह कहती सुनाई दे रही है कि *तेरे घर का थोड़ी ना है कोई* pic.twitter.com/5rMMQ48Qpu
— Avneesh Chaudhary, Journalist (@avneesh_NN) September 10, 2022
Police calls it an old dispute between the families
The Delhi Police has denied any communal angle to the incident, calling the entire controversy a battle for supremacy between the two families. ADCP Outer said that both the victim and the accused families already had enmity. Along with this, the arrest of 3 accused and further legal action has also been reported.
मंगोलपुरी इलाके में 1 व्यक्ति की हत्या की सूचना मिली थी। पुलिस की टीम ने मौके पर पहुँचकर तत्काल कार्रवाई शुरू की। जांच में पता चला कि एक ही समुदाय के 2 परिवारों के बीच हुए विवाद में घटना को अंजाम दिया गया था।
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) September 10, 2022
संबंधित एडिशनल डीसीपी ने पूरी जानकारी दी है।@PTI_News@PIB_India@ANI pic.twitter.com/kuBtB17Hhm
An additional police force has been deployed in the area. Police are further investigating the case.
