A 50-year-old tailor was brutally stabbed to death outside his home in North West Delhi on the evening of New Year's Day, following a petty argument with a group of teenagers over their use of abusive language. The incident, which has sent shockwaves through the Adarsh Nagar locality, led to the apprehension of a minor accused of delivering the fatal stab wound.
Fatal Confrontation Over Abusive Language
The victim, Bihari Lal, had just returned from his work in Shastri Nagar and was parking his bicycle near his house in the Adarsh Nagar area on Thursday evening. According to eyewitness accounts shared with the police and reporters, a group of teenagers passed by him while hurling abuses and kicking boxes and buckets kept outside the houses.
Bihari Lal, a respected resident, reportedly asked the boys to mind their language, noting that women also lived in the area. This simple request, however, triggered an immediate and violent escalation. The teenagers allegedly turned on him, leading to a physical assault that quickly turned deadly.
Police Action and Juvenile Apprehension
Amid the fight, Bihari Lal was stabbed. He was rushed to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Acting on the information, the police from Adarsh Nagar police station sprang into action.
By Friday, the police had apprehended a minor in connection with the murder. A senior police officer stated that the juvenile disclosed the offence was committed in a fit of rage due to alleged verbal abuse by the deceased. The weapon used in the crime has been recovered, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend the other accused individuals involved in the incident.
The police have registered a case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intent) of the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Locality Living in Fear
The killing has exposed deep-seated fears among residents about law and order in their neighbourhood. Neighbours of Bihari Lal expressed their anguish and alarm, stating that knife-wielding teenagers have become a menace in their locality.
Dimple, a neighbour, vividly recounted the tragic sequence of events to reporters. "He simply told the boys to not use such language... Just hearing that, those boys got angry and stabbed him," she said, highlighting how a minor altercation spiraled into an irreversible tragedy on the first day of the New Year.
The incident underscores a growing concern about juvenile crime and street violence in certain parts of the capital, leaving a community mourning the loss of a hardworking individual and demanding greater safety and police vigilance.
