Mumbai: One killed, several injured in deadly Marathi vs Bhojpuri song dispute at Mira Road New Year party

CCTV footage of the clash that broke out on January 1 at Mira Road (right) Raja Periyar, the deceased. Pics/Hanif Patel

A new Year celebration at Mira Road took a deadly turn after a verbal dispute snowballed into a violent attack involving bamboo and iron rods. On Thursday, one person, Raja Periyar, 23, succumbed to injuries sustained during the incident, which was sparked over whether Bhojpuri or Marathi songs ought to have been played, according to the Kashimira police.

The deceased breathed his last at KEM Hospital and the post-mortem will be conducted on Friday. Hundreds of revellers had been dancing to Marathi songs but another group insisted that Bhojpuri numbers be played. "Since a few of the revellers were inebriated, a verbal dispute broke out. After a few minutes, the crowd got polarised on the subject of regional music," said a local source in Mira Road.

CCTV footage of the clash that broke out on January 1 at Mira Road. Pics/Hanif Patel

Investigating officer WPSI Sheetal Mundhe said, "The fight started over the selection of songs. We have arrested the prime accused, Ashish Jadhav, and his father Prakash. Other accused, including Prakash's brother Sanjay and Ashish's brother Amit, are yet to be arrested." "We have recovered bamboo and blood samples from the crime spot. Further investigations are underway," she added.

According to the complainant, Prashant Pandey, 24, the accused and the victim had gathered around Delta Garden near MHADA Colony. "A group of 10-15 individuals had gathered to ring in the new year. Ashish and Raja had a scuffle regarding the installation of the sound system. We tried to calm Ashish down but he stormed off in anger. In the wee hours of January 1, Ashish came back with some relatives and beat Raja with bamboo and iron rods. Another person, Vipul Rai, was also injured and both were taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli. Raja was later shifted to KEM Hospital," he said.

The Kashimira police station

Senior Inspector Lalu Ture of the Kashimira police station said, "The youths were seriously injured. Initially, an FIR was registered for attempt to murder. But Raja succumbed to the injuries on Thursday." The accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Victim's kin

Raja's brother-in-law Dilip Damai, told mid-day that even after the youth was unconscious on the ground, Ashish rained blows on him. "His skull was badly damaged and he was bleeding profusely. His head was terribly wounded. The post-mortem report will reveal the severity of his injuries," said Damai.

Vipul Rai, who was injured along with the deceased

"Initially, we rushed him to a local hospital in Mira Road where the doctors referred him to Shatabdi Hospital. Since his health was deteriorating rapidly, we were suggested to take him to KEM Hospital, where he was kept on the ventilator after a few surgeries. But he succumbed to his injuries around 8 am on January 2." Relatives of the deceased at KEM Hospital told mid-day that Raja was an auto rickshaw driver who lived with his brother and father inMira Road. "Raja was a very nice man. We are from Nepal but have been living in Mumbai to earn a living. After learning about the assault on January 1, I immediately rushed to Mira Road from Thane," said Damai.