New Delhi: A nursing student’s birthday party at a cafe in Bareilly turned into a nightmare Saturday when members of the Bajrang Dal stormed in, alleging ‘love jihad’.
Purported videos of the incident circulating on social media showed the men slapping and beating up some of the students, and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. “Inki family ko bulao (call their families),” one of them is heard saying in a video.
Two of the student’s Muslim friends and a staffer at the venue, Den Restaurant and Cafe, were taken to the Premnagar police station, and fined.
Later, amid intense backlash and after the cafe owner filed a complaint, and an FIR was lodged against Bajrang Dal members—two named and several unnamed—on charges including assault, criminal intimidation and provocation with intent to cause a riot.
The nursing student’s friends, Md Shan and Md Waqif, as well as a cafe staffer, were taken to the police station under sections 170, 126 and 136 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), sections often used together by the police for preventive action.
The incident has triggered anger on social media, with many questioning the state of law and order, allowing right-wing groups to act with impunity. “Guess who was challaned for breach of peace here,” an X user wrote. Others demanded action, calling the Bajrang Dal members “goons disrupting harmony”.
Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam defended the police’s move as preventive action meant to de-escalate the situation. “The police acted promptly, and the team reached the spot and arranged for an ambulance for the injured.”
Based on cafe owner’s complaint, “Case No. 532/25 has been registered under Sections 333, 115(2), 352, 351(3), 324, 131, and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against two named accused and several unidentified persons,” he told media persons.
Premnagar police station sub-inspector Sudhir Kumar told ThePrint: “We acted under Section 170 of the BNS to prevent any dispute and to ensure that law and order was not disturbed. The two Muslim students were taken into custody purely for their safety. An FIR has now been registered against the Bajrang Dal members, and we have assured the student’s family that the strictest possible action will be taken.”
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