'Lady Don' under lens after teen stabbed to death in Delhi's Seelampur

Local protests erupted after Kunal Kumar, 17, was stabbed multiple times by five unidentified persons on Thursday evening

Tension gripped Delhi’s Seelampur after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death on Thursday evening, triggering protests that led to heavy police deployment in the area. Residents on Friday took to the streets, forming a human chain and bringing traffic to a halt, including the stretch from Seelampur to Kashmere Gate and parts of Shahdara and Welcome.

 

Amid growing unease in the locality, Delhi Police on Friday said it is investigating the involvement of Zikra, who goes by the moniker 'Lady Don' on social media, in the murder.

 

The case

Kumar was reportedly stabbed with knives multiple times by five people at around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries there. He was cremated Friday evening under heavy security presence.

Police action

Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range) Pushpendra Kumar said that they have identified two suspects — Sahil and Rehan —  after checking the CCTV footage of the area.

 

"We have identified the accused who will be nabbed soon. Ten teams have been formed to crack the case, and they are looking at all possible angles. We have detained a few people for questioning. The case will be solved soon," Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

 

The family, however, has alleged the involvement of Zikra in the murder of Kunal. The police have reportedly detained her for questioning.

 

Who is 'Lady Don' Zikra?

Zikra previously worked as a bouncer for jailed gangster Hashim Baba’s wife, Zoya, before the latter’s arrest in a drug case. After that, she reportedly began running her own gang. She was later arrested under the Arms Act for posting a video of herself holding a pistol on social media, but was released on bail. According to a report by NDTV, she often posts videos brandishing weapons on her social media and has over 15,000 followers on Instagram where she refers to herself as 'Lady Don'.

 

According to Kumar’s family, some members of his community had earlier clashed with Zikra’s cousin, Sahil, raising suspicions that the murder may have been an act of revenge.

 

“There was an incident involving her cousin Sahil, but my son had nothing to do with it. Yet they killed him. He was brutally stabbed multiple times,” Kumar's mother Parveen said, adding that Zikra used to roam around in the area with a pistol.

 

'Deteriorating law and order situation': AAP slams BJP

The murder has also triggered a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP.

 

"The murder of a 17-year-old youth in Seelampur is another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi," Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi posted on X.

 

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also criticised the Delhi administration. "For the past six to eight months, we have been warning that law and order in Delhi has collapsed. No new police recruitment is taking place, and the force is busy with VIP duties..." he wrote.

 

"Murders are happening in broad daylight and people are being killed for not paying extortion money. Despite this, Delhi Police released data last week claiming that crime is decreasing. This is an attempt by the police and the Central government to mislead the public with false data," Bharadwaj said.

 

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, "I have talked to the Commissioner of Police. The police is making all efforts and I hope the accused will be arrested soon. It will be ensured that the family of the youth gets justice," she said.