BJP slams Rahul Gandhi for 'hypocrisy, selective outrage' over killing of man in Delhi's Uttam Nagar

The BJP on Thursday slammed Rahul Gandhi for hypocrisy and selective outrage over the killing of a 26-year-old man in a clash in Delhis Uttam Nagar, alleging that the Congress leader has broken his silence over a fortnight after the incident for vote bank politics.

The BJP on Thursday slammed Rahul Gandhi for ''hypocrisy and selective outrage'' over the killing of a 26-year-old man in a clash in Delhi's Uttam Nagar, alleging that the Congress leader has broken his silence over a fortnight after the incident for vote bank politics. Several BJP leaders including party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also accused Gandhi of attempting to ''whitewash'' the incident and protect those involved in killing the man. ''Tarun Khatik was killed on March 4. Rahul Gandhi has broken his silence now only to whitewash and protect the killers,'' Poonawalla said in a video message on X. ''Rahul Gandhi's tweet (post on X) on the Uttam Nagar tragedy is peak hypocrisy and selective outrage,'' the BJP national spokesperson added. Tarun was killed in a clash between his family and their neighbours in the JJ Colony area in Uttam Nagar on Holi on March 4. The clash broke out after water from a balloon thrown by a girl from Tarun's family splashed on a woman from his neighbour's family, according to police. More than 100 picket points, rooftop surveillance and increased barricading are among a slew of security measures taken ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr by the Delhi Police in Dwarka district, including Uttam Nagar, where communal tension has been simmering since the killing of the 26-year-old man in the clash. The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the city police and administration to ensure a conducive atmosphere for a peaceful and dignified observance of Eid in Uttam Nagar where the 26-year-old man was killed in a clash on Holi. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the police bandobast in the area should be such that it instils a sense of safety and security in all. The bench directed the authorities to ensure that no one plays any mischief that has the potential to create any ''untoward situation''. It clarified that the police arrangements in the area shall continue till the upcoming festival of Ram Navami. In a post on X, Gandhi said on Friday, ''The people of Uttam Nagar have paid a heavy price for the violence -- on one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution. They don't want any more bloodshed.'' ''Bloodshed is what only the BJP and its ecosystem desire, which seizes every opportunity to bake the bread of violence on the griddle of hate,'' the Congress leader said as he appealed to people of Delhi not to fall for any provocation, saying the strength of the country lies in ''our unity, brotherhood, and love''. Gandhi alleged that the BJP and its ecosystem want the country to remain entangled in ''Hindu-Muslim strife'' so that people cannot ask ''why the prime minister is being forced to hand over the country's defense, energy security, food security, and strategic sovereignty to America''. ''That's why, in broad daylight, riot-like conditions are once again being created in the nation's capital,'' he added. Hitting back, Poonawalla wrote on X, ''While a 26-year-old Dalit youth, Tarun Khatik, was brutally beaten to death with rods, stones and slabs over a Holi water balloon mishap, Rahul equates the victim's family with the accused murderers' family, calling the latter persecuted and victims of harassment.'' ''Tarun lost his life. But Dalit life matters (for the Congress) only if it fits the narrative. Not when the accused is from a votebank!'' the BJP spokesperson added, demanding justice for Tarun, not ''twisted sympathy and whitewashing for killers''. Hitting out at Gandhi, another BJP spokesperson Prem Shukla said the Congress leader did not utter even a word when Tarun was killed on a ''trivial'' matter. ''You did not even deem it appropriate to express your condolences to his family. And today, you have started speaking up just for the sake of votes,'' Shukla said on X, reacting to Gandhi's remarks. ''No one supports violence. However, a Hindu, too, is the light of his family's home. Why do you consider a Hindu's life to be so cheap, Sir?'' the BJP spokesperson added.

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