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”.
Guess who was challaned for breach of peace here. https://t.co/yZudSjEw5G
— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) December 28, 2025
Some said this was not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern. “Let the world know we have finally become Vishwaguru,” read another angry X post.
Thank you right wing group hooligans. Thank you police uncle for upholding our great secular culture & ancient civilisation.
Let the world know we have finally become Vishwaguru.
Thank you Modi Sir for this Naya Bharat.
Astonishing change.
— Sambir Singh (@Sam318963251901) December 28, 2025
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.”
‘Which of you is Muslim?’
Speaking to ThePrint, Shailendra Gangwar, the cafe’s owner, recalled sitting in a room upstairs when all hell broke loose, adding that he saw nearly 20 Bajrang Dal members storming in.
“They came into my room to check if I was Muslim… I didn’t know what happened downstairs. When I asked what was going on, they insisted I show my ID card to confirm my religion, so I did,” Gangwar said.
From upstairs, he watched as the group attacked the birthday party attendees and cafe staffers. They were specifically targeting certain individuals and demanding to know their religion, according to Gangwar.
He further said that men asked the group of friends, “Which of you is Muslim?” Two boys said they were, and one was immediately assaulted, he added.
“One of them immediately struck him. Another boy, who had come with him, was also attacked. He was hit on the head with a glass, his head was injured, and one of his fingers was broken,” Gangwar said.
The attackers forced the remaining attendees outside, leaving only three people behind— two Muslim boys and one girl. Gangwar and the cafe staff were also physically assaulted.
“There were 20-25 people inside, nearly 30-35 outside…We called the police, and they came after 15-20 minutes and separated the girl and the boy to keep them safe, but the attackers were still making videos. They broke parts of the restaurant and misbehaved with our staff,” said Gangwar.
The police took Gangwar, along with the two Muslim boys at the cafe, to the police station for questioning and then let them go.
Gangwar then filed a complaint naming Rishabh Thakur and Deepak Thakur, along with 20–25 unidentified persons, for storming and attacking the cafe.
“The police asked why we didn’t record the entry of everyone who came, but we didn’t record everyone’s entry. We only noted the phone number of the person who booked the party. We don’t go around asking who is Hindu or who is Muslim,” he said.
‘Attacked without provocation’
The 10 people who were at the birthday party were students of Keshlata Institute of Nursing.
The host of the party is originally from Badaun. Speaking to local media, she said they were attacked without provocation.
“I was beaten and suffered heavy bleeding. They misbehaved with me, snatched my phone, and harassed me repeatedly,” she said, adding that she repeatedly told police officers that everyone present was a classmate.
“The police arrived and rescued me. They took my friends and me with them and questioned us, and I told them everything clearly. There was nothing inappropriate at the party. Friends from different communities were present. Yet many people were assaulted, and the attackers vandalised the place,” she told TV reporters.
“This is outright hooliganism. My sister is in a state of depression, and we are afraid she might take the wrong step,” the student’s cousin said, adding that she was hit by “Bajrang Dal member Rishabh Thakur more than once”.
ThePrint also contacted Waqif, but he declined to comment on the incident. “The matter is over now, and I don’t want to say anything about it,” he said.
“These groups are trying to create fear and distance between Hindus and Muslims. Even a Muslim attending a friend’s birthday is given a communal angle. This is not just about one cafe; it is an attempt to divide society and spread hatred,” Chaudhary Anwar, activist and founder of the Rajwadi Sevak Sangathan, told ThePrint.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswani)