New Delhi: A 28-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death after a fight over a bidi in east Delhi’s Shashi Garden early Wednesday. A 32-year-old barber, Manoj, was arrested in connection with the case. The deceased was identified as Deepak, a resident of Jawahar Mohalla, Shashi Garden. Police received a PCR call around 1.24 am about a man lying injured near Shashi Garden bus stand, close to Hanuman Mandir. He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. According to police, he had injuries on his forehead and the right side of his face. “Deepak and Manoj, who live in the same locality, had a quarrel over a bidi that escalated into a scuffle,” said a senior police officer. Manoj said that Deepak threatened him and grabbed him by the neck, prompting him to pick up a wooden stick and hit Deepak multiple times. A blood-stained stick, believed to be the weapon used in the crime, was seized. The incident reflects a growing pattern of petty disputes, specifically regarding ‘bidis’, escalating into fatal violence in the capital. In June, a man in northeast Delhi was beaten to death after a similar dispute. In May, 33-year-old Kanhaiya was killed in Khyala after refusing to give a bidi, and in April, 21-year-old Sohaib was stabbed to death in Pul Prahladpur following a similar dispute.
