Photo: Screengrab
NEW DELHI: A young woman whose birthday celebration was disrupted at a cafe in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly on Sunday said that the right-wing activists stormed the venue, assaulted her friends and falsely accused two Muslim guests of “love jihad”, even though most of those present were Hindus.Speaking to The Times of India, the woman, a nursing student, said she had invited her classmates for a small birthday gathering at the cafe. “They crashed my birthday party and attacked my friend. There were only two Muslims present, while most of the guests were Hindus. The videos shared by right-wing members only showed partial footage; they did not capture the entire incident. The claim of “love jihad” was also unfounded”, the victim of the Bareilly Cafe clash told TOI. Meanwhile, the two Muslim boys have been booked for the “breach of peace” after attending the party. The action was taken after the members of the Bajrang Dal barged into the cafe alleging love jihad. The police, however, subsequently refuted the love jihad angle.Police said the nursing student had invited her classmates, six girls and four boys, for a small celebration.Minutes into the gathering, Bajrang Dal members barged in, accused the Muslim guests of “love jihad” and allegedly thrashed one of them and the girl who tried to intervene. A few videos from the spot shows police restraining the girl as she resists being taken away.Though the police inquiry found no wrongdoing by the students, two Muslim boys and a café staffer were booked under breach of peace for disturbing public order.
