Delhi Police on Monday rejected claims by the family of one of the accused in the Uttam Nagar Holi killing case that a 14-year-old boy named Rizwan had gone missing after being taken from a hospital under unclear circumstances.
“Rizwan is one of the main accused who was apprehended and has been sent to Observation Home by the Juvenile Justice Board. The reports of him missing are baseless and completely untrue,” the Delhi Police said in a statement.
What the Family Had Said
The claims originated from Shahin Rangrez Chouhan, a relative of the accused, who alleged that Rizwan had sustained serious head injuries during the Holi night clash on March 4 and was receiving treatment at World Brain Hospital on Dabri Road. She alleged that in the early hours of the morning, the family was pressured to discharge the boy and that he was subsequently taken away by unidentified individuals in a vehicle. The family also alleged that when they approached a police station to report the matter, they were turned away without their complaint being registered.
Police Response
Delhi Police’s statement directly contradicts the family’s account at every key point. According to police, Rizwan was not taken away by unidentified individuals but was formally apprehended as one of the accused in the case. He was subsequently produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which sent him to an Observation Home in accordance with the law governing the treatment of minors in conflict with the law.
The police made clear that no minor accused in the case is unaccounted for and that the claims of disappearance have no basis in fact.
The Uttam Nagar case, in which 26-year-old Tarun Kumar was beaten to death on the night of Holi, has so far resulted in the arrest of eight adults and the apprehension of at least one juvenile. The investigation continues under heavy security deployment across the locality.
