What began as a birthday celebration for a nursing student at a café in Bareilly descended into chaos after members of the Bajrang Dal allegedly stormed the venue, assaulted guests, and raised slogans accusing two Muslim boys present of “love jihad” on Saturday.
The birthday party, hosted at a local café, was attended by ten students, six women and four men.
Only two of the male attendees were Muslim, while the rest of the group were Hindus.
According to the victim, the gathering was a private celebration among classmates, and there was nothing objectionable about the event.
However, shortly after the party began, a group of Hindutva activists barged into the café, questioned the presence of Muslim boys with Hindu women, and allegedly assaulted one of the Muslim students and the birthday girl.
Videos of the incident show heated arguments inside the café, with Bajrang Dal members seen harassing the girl, abusing her, and brutally beating her friends.
Speaking to Maktoob, the student’s brother said, “We had information that she is friends with people from all faiths and went to celebrate her birthday, but neither do we support nor do we encourage what unfolded there and what the Bajrang Dal people did.”
“She was harassed by the Bajrang Dal members, her friends were beaten mercilessly, and they even broke the fingers of those Muslim boys. Their only mistake was being friends with each other.”
He said, “I feel sorry for everyone who was assaulted, but more for those Muslim boys who are friends with my sister, and we will make sure that these goons who only believe in communal violence will not go unpunished.”
He further expressed his anger against the Bajrang Dal and all such outfits and said, “What do these people think? Can they take the law into their hands? They believe that if the government represents the majority community, it can do anything and take the law for granted. They should be punished in a way that everyone gets a lesson.”
He told Maktoob, “The girl student is in trauma and depression as she didn’t expect this. Ever since this happened, she has gone silent.”
The family has not filed any police complaint so far but said they will do so.
“We will file a formal police complaint after we get to speak with all her friends who are victims of the assault, because it’s not just about our girl, it’s also about those children.”
Police action initially targeted victims
Despite a preliminary police inquiry reportedly finding nothing unlawful about the gathering, a case was registered for “disturbing the peace” against the two Muslim boys and a café staff member under sections 170, 126, and 135 of the BNSS.
No immediate action was taken against the Bajrang Dal members who allegedly instigated the violence; instead, they were seen being “persuaded” and allowed to leave the spot.
Victim rejects love jihad claim
The nursing student whose birthday party was disrupted strongly refuted the allegations being spread by Hindutva groups.
“They crashed my birthday party and attacked my friend. There were only two Muslims present, while most of the guests were Hindus. The videos shared by right-wing members only showed partial footage; they did not capture the entire incident. The claim of ‘love jihad’ is completely false,” she said.
She also questioned why the police initially acted against her friends instead of those who disrupted a private gathering and resorted to violence.
FIR filed by café owner
Following public outrage, police registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by the café owner under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS), including 333, 115 (2), 352, 351 (3), 324 (4), 131, and 191 (2).
According to the FIR, Rishabh Thakur, Deepak Pathak, and 20–25 unidentified persons entered the café without permission, created a ruckus, assaulted the students celebrating a birthday, disrupted the functioning of the establishment, and caused panic among customers.
The complaint states that the disturbance adversely affected public order and the normal operation of the café.
The FIR does not mention any illegal activity by the students celebrating the birthday, nor does it substantiate claims of religious impropriety or coercion as alleged by the Bajrang Dal.
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