ISLAMABAD: India’s opposition party Congress has strongly condemned the police handling of an attack on Muslim youths at a birthday party in Bareilly, calling it evidence of “discriminatory practices” that embolden fringe right-wing groups in the country’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, Indian media reported.

Senior Congress leader Anil Yadav said, “Such incidents are a blot on civilized society and raise question marks on rule of law. Instead of taking strict action against anti-social elements who disrupted the celebration and attempted to communalise the environment, the police booked the victims.”

‘Discriminatory attitude’

“FIR against the accused is registered only after public outcry.”

Yadav said, “It highlights the discriminatory attitude of the police, which is emboldening the fringe right-wing organizations in Uttar Pradesh. Such occurrences are happening on a daily basis.”

The attack occurred on December 27 at a restaurant in Prem Nagar, where a first-year BSc Nursing student was celebrating her birthday with friends.

Of the nine attendees, two male guests were Muslim.

Accusation of ‘love jihad’

Videos that went viral showed a group of right-wing activists storming the café, raising slogans, and allegedly assaulting the youths, accusing them of “love jihad”, Indian media reported.

A journalist, Mohammed Zubair, shared footage of the reported attack on his X account.

According to Indian media, the student said in a video, “They barged into my birthday party and assaulted my friend. There were only two Muslims present, and most of the guests were Hindus. The attackers tried to harass and snatch my phone. We were helpless for some time.”

Punishing the victims

Initially, the local police issued challans against the victims and café staff for disturbing the peace, prompting widespread social media outrage.

Following the backlash, the police registered FIR 532/25 under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Rishabh Thakur, Deepak Pathak, and 20–25 others for assault, trespass with intent to cause hurt, grievous hurt, and severe criminal intimidation.

Ashutosh Shivam, Circle Officer City 1, Bareilly, said, “We are identifying the people involved in the assault.”

Law enforcement failure

The Congress criticized the ruling BJP government, saying the incident reflects growing insecurity for minority communities in Uttar Pradesh and a failure of law enforcement to act impartially.

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Indian opposition slams police for ‘discriminatory practices’ after Bareilly birthday party attack