A case was registered in Bareilly on Sunday after a social media outcry over an incident in which alleged Bajrang Dal members stormed a restaurant and assaulted students celebrating a birthday, accusing them of “love jihad”. However, on the day of the incident, the police had acted against the two Muslim youths present at the gathering and to the restaurant staff, citing disturbance of peace. The action triggered widespread criticism, following which the authorities moved to register a case against the alleged perpetrators.
According to the police, a First Information Report (FIR No. 532/25) has been lodged under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against three named accused, Rishabh Thakur, Deepak Pathak and others, along with 20–25 unidentified persons. “The FIR has been registered under Sections 333, 115(2), 351, 351(3), 324(4), 131 and 191(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for assault inside a restaurant,” said Ashutosh Shivam, Circle Officer (City 1), Bareilly. “We are in the process of identifying all those involved in the attack,” he added. The sections invoked pertain to criminal trespass with intent to cause harm, intimidation, and threats involving grievous injury.
Videos of the incident, which surfaced on social media, show Bajrang Dal members forcing their way into the restaurant, shouting slogans and confronting the group of students. The footage triggered sharp criticism after it emerged that the police had initially taken action against the victims instead of the attackers.
The birthday celebration was organised by a first-year BSc Nursing student and was attended by nine friends, five women and four men. Of the four men, two were Muslims. The presence of Muslim men with a Hindu woman reportedly led members of a fringe group to arrive at the restaurant, accuse the group of “love jihad”, and allegedly assault them. Police personnel reached the spot and took the student and others to the police station for questioning.
In a video statement that later went viral, the student described the ordeal. “They barged into my birthday party and assaulted my friend. There were only two Muslims present, and most of the guests were Hindus,” she said. “The attackers started accusing my friends of ‘love jihad’. They tried to harass us and snatch my phone. We were helpless for some time,” she added.
The incident also drew sharp political reactions. Congress accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh of fostering an atmosphere of fear, particularly among minorities. “Such incidents are a blot on a civilised society and raise serious questions about the rule of law,” said Anil Yadav, a senior Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh.
“Instead of taking strict action against anti-social elements who attempted to communalise the environment, the police booked the victims. The FIR was registered only after public outrage,” he said. Yadav alleged that the police’s initial response reflected discrimination and emboldened fringe right-wing groups. “Such occurrences are now happening on a daily basis in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
