Tension prevails three days after killing of businessman in Delhi, police beef up security

Basai Darapur in Delhi, where a 52-year-old businessman was stabbed to death, continued to remain tense as members of his community staged a protest after a 'mahapanchayat' on Thursday.

Police said the protest by the members of the Tyagi community -- to which the deceased belonged -- was largely peaceful and was also joined by others.

Traffic was affected in the area in west Delhi due to the large gathering, the police said.

The community called for a 'mahapanchayat' to mourn the death of the businessman who was stabbed multiple times by some neighbours when he objected to lewd remarks on his daughter in the early hours on Sunday.

The victim's 19-year-old son was also stabbed when he tried to intervene.

A 45-year-old man and his 20-year-old son have been arrested in connection with the killing. The police apprehended two juvenile sons of the main accused. His wife and daughter were also arrested.

The protesters demanded death sentence for the accused and compensation for the victim's family.

"We have decided that no Muslim migrant should be given any house or shop on rent in the villages of Delhi. We do not have any issue with local Muslims. We live peacefully here. But Muslims from outside Delhi are the ones who create trouble here," Amreesh Tyagi, General Secretary of the Tyagi community, told PTI.

Family members of the deceased, however, distanced themselves from the remarks against the minority community.

"If it was a Muslim who stabbed my uncle, then it was also a Muslim who tried to save him and my cousin and rushed them to the hospital. We do not have anything against any community and our family does not support anyone who is trying to give the communal angle to this incident," said a nephew of the deceased who did not wish to be named.

A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party MPs met the Delhi Police Commissioner and condemned the attempts to "communalise the crime".

The protesters also demanded compensation from Delhi government for the victim's family and sought government jobs for his two daughters.

Anticipating tension, the police had already beefed up security in the area.

Over 50 Delhi Police personnel were deployed and senior officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police (West) Madhup Tiwari and Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Monika Bhardwaj, were present at the protest venue, a senior official said.

The official added patrolling has been intensified in the area and a company of women police personnel has been deployed in the area to ensure that no untoward incident happens.

Police also said they have started door-to-door police verification of tenants staying in and around the neighbourhood to ensure no such incident takes place in the future.