A birthday celebration hosted by a nursing student at a café in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, was disrupted on Saturday after alleged members of the Bajrang Dal stormed the venue, accusing two Muslim youths present at the party of “love jihad.”
The incident occurred at The Den Eleven restaurant, where a group reportedly forced their way in, raised slogans, and assaulted people attending the party, triggering panic and chaos. Videos circulating on social media show some individuals slapping and hitting guests, while others can be heard shouting religious slogans.
Another clip shows the visibly distressed student who had organised the party speaking on the phone in the presence of a female police officer. In the background, voices can be heard demanding that her family be called, while remarks were allegedly made criticising Hindu girls socialising with Muslim boys.
Later recounting the incident, the student said that the group abruptly barged into the party, shouted slogans, assaulted people, tried to snatch her phone, and misbehaved with her. She said police intervened in time and took her and a friend to safety. She also rejected the “love jihad” allegations, clarifying that only two Muslims were present at the party and the rest of the guests were Hindus.
Following the viral spread of the videos, police registered a case based on a complaint filed by the restaurant owner, Shalinder Gangawar. An FIR was lodged against two identified individuals—Abhay Thakur and Deepak Pathak—along with 20–25 unidentified persons under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including provisions related to assault, unlawful assembly, and criminal intimidation.
In his complaint, the restaurant owner stated that the accused forcibly entered the premises, disrupted customers celebrating a birthday, and created a violent disturbance inside the restaurant.