Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh — A Bajrang Dal assault on Muslim youths attending a Hindu friend’s birthday party has triggered widespread outrage, social media debate, and renewed concerns over communal tensions in northern India. The incident occurred late Saturday at a café in the Prem Nagar area, where a 20-year-old nursing student was celebrating with classmates, including two Muslim attendees.
According to police and victim accounts, around 25 right-wing activists, including a self-proclaimed cow vigilante, barged into the celebration and began objecting to the presence of the Muslim youths, chanting slogans and accusing them of “love jihad,” a controversial and debunked term widely used by Hindu extremists to allege forced religious conversion. Videos circulating on social media show chaos inside the café, with one guest reportedly sustaining fractures during the assault.
Initially, police action drew criticism after they booked the two Muslim youths, identified as Shan and Waqif, and a café staffer under “breach of peace” provisions, rather than the attackers. This sparked a social media backlash and public debate over police conduct amid communal incidents in India.
Following intense online outcry and viral videos of the incident, Bareilly Police filed an FIR against the alleged attackers, naming two key accused and several unidentified individuals under sections related to trespass, assault, criminal intimidation, and rioting. Police have assured action against those who disrupted the party and assaulted guests.
The Bareilly birthday assault comes amid a pattern of religiously motivated disruptions across India, including recent attacks by Hindu extremist groups on Christmas events and other minority celebrations.
Residents and rights advocates have expressed concern that routine social gatherings are increasingly targeted under communal pretexts, eroding trust among communities and challenging India’s secular constitutional guarantees.
In the wake of the Bajrang Dal assault on Muslim youths in Bareilly, authorities say the investigation continues as public debate intensifies over law enforcement’s role in protecting citizens’ rights across religious lines.
