Right-wing mob storms student’s birthday party in Bareilly, thrashes guests for ‘love jihad’

Around 25 right-wing activists, including a self-proclaimed cow vigilante, allegedly barged into a private birthday celebration of a 20-year-old first-year nursing student at a café in Bareilly, assaulted some of her male guests, raised ‘love jihad’ slogans and created a ruckus after objecting to the presence of two Muslim students at the party.

According to the victims, police initially fined the two students and a café staff member for “breach of peace”, while no immediate action was taken against those who disrupted the event and allegedly assaulted the guests.

Police later took note of the alleged assault and harassment by the right-wing activists following outrage on social media.


Bareilly SP (city) Manush Pareek told TOI, "We've identified those seen attacking inside the cafe, and an FIR has been registered under BNS sections 333 (house trespass), 115-2 (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult...), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 191 (rioting). We've sought a reply from the SHO on why no action was not taken against them." A departmental inquiry has been initiated against the SHO, police said, adding that "claims of love jihad were found to be untrue".

The incident occurred on Saturday evening when the student, a Budaun resident staying in a local hostel, hosted a small gathering of nine people, including five women.

The nursing student said the allegations of ‘love jihad' were baseless. "They gate-crashed and assaulted my friends. One of them suffered fractures," she added. A video showing some men thrashing guests at the birthday party was also widely shared online.

Meanwhile, Ashish Sharma, ‘gau raksha pramukh' of a right-wing group's Bareilly unit, said Thakur was no longer part of their organisation. He also alleged that members of his group "were not part of the assault".