By HT News Desk
A birthday party at a cafe in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly turned controversial after a group of right-wing activists barged in and gate-crashed the gathering, alleging “love jihad”. Two Muslim youth were among the party attendees, which was interrupted by members of the Bajrang Dal who stormed into the cafe and reportedly thrashed one of the attendees.
As the situation escalated, police got involved and fined two Muslim youths, who were among the 10 attendees of the party. The staffer of the restaurant was also fined for “disturbing the peace”, news agency PTI reported.
Bajrang Dal members thrashed one of the two Muslim youth, accusing them of ‘love jihad’, the report said. A girl who tried to intervene was also thrashed, the Times of India reported.
A video of the incident purportedly showing the activists creating ruckus inside the cafe was shared on social media. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The incident occurred on Saturday night when a first-year BSc Nursing student hosted her birthday party at the restaurant in the Prem Nagar area that was attended by nine friends — five women and four men.
The presence of Muslim youths with a Hindu woman led some members of a right-wing organisation to reach the restaurant, where they disrupted the party, raised slogans, and accused the youths of “love jihad”, PTI reported, citing police officials.
This story was originally published in hindustantimes.com. Read the full story here.