Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of creating riot-like conditions in Delhi, referring to the communal tensions in the Uttam Nagar area.

Gandhi said on social media that the people of Uttam Nagar had paid a heavy price for the violence. “On one side, a young man, Tarun, lost his life, and on the other, an entire family is facing persecution,” he said.

A man named Tarun Bhutolia died after being severely injured in a clash during Holi celebrations on March 4. The clash began when a water balloon accidentally thrown by an 11-year-old girl from the third floor of a building fell on a Muslim woman standing below.

The incident had led to an argument between the two neighbouring families from different religious communities.

The 26-year-old’s killing had sparked tensions in the area. Several vehicles were damaged and some were set on fire during protests by residents, following which police and paramilitary personnel were deployed.

Muslim residents of the area have also expressed concern about calls for violence during Eid on Saturday.

On Thursday, Gandhi said that the people residing in Uttam Nagar do not want any more bloodshed.

“Only the BJP and its ecosystem want bloodshed,” the Congress leader said, alleging that the Hindutva party wanted to seize every opportunity to capitalise on the situation.

The BJP wants the country “to remain entangled in Hindu-Muslim strife” so that the public cannot ask why Prime Minister Narendra Modi “is being forced to hand over the country’s defence, energy security, food security and strategic sovereignty” to the United States, Gandhi alleged.

“…and that’s why, in broad daylight, riot-like conditions are once again being created in the nation’s capital,” he added.

Gandhi urged the residents of Delhi not to fall for any provocation.

On Wednesday, Congress MP Mohammad Jawaid said that he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that Muslims in Uttam Nagar have been facing open threats and hateful slogans ahead of Eid.

The MP from Bihar’s Kishanganj also claimed that there had been a perception of a selective police response, which he said was emboldening those “seeking to disturb communal harmony”.

Jawaid said that “what is unfolding is not an isolated law-and-order issue, but a pattern of targeted hostility that raises serious questions about the state’s ability and willingness to protect all citizens equally”.

A public interest litigation has also been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking urgent intervention to prevent communal violence and curb alleged hate speech incidents in Uttam Nagar ahead of Eid.

On Thursday, the court directed the police and civil administration of the area to take all the required action permissible under the law to “ensure situation does not take any ugly turn and an atmosphere is created conducive to peaceful Eid”, Live Law reported.

The court said that the situation as described in the petition required the authorities to be constantly vigilant and called for members of different sections of society to “conduct themselves in manner which may promote peace and harmony”.

Watch: How a clash between two families on Holi in Delhi became a larger flashpoint