A Muslim gym trainer in Meerut has been booked and hospitalised after Bajrang Dal workers accused him of hiding his religious identity while meeting a Hindu woman at a restaurant during Valentine’s week, triggering tensions in the western Uttar Pradesh city.
Incident at Madhavpuram restaurant
The incident took place in Meerut’s Madhavpuram area, where Sufiyan, a local gym trainer, arrived at a Brahmpuri-based restaurant with a Hindu woman friend to celebrate Valentine’s week. According to reports, Bajrang Dal workers reached the spot and questioned the man about his name and religion after seeing the couple seated together. Initially, the youth reportedly introduced himself as Rahul, and the woman also identified herself as Hindu.
Eyewitness accounts quoted in local media state that once it emerged that the youth’s real name was Sufiyan and that he was Muslim, an argument broke out inside the restaurant. The situation quickly escalated as Bajrang Dal workers accused him of attempting love jihad by luring a Hindu woman under a false Hindu name. The couple were then taken out of the restaurant.
Assault and hospitalisation
Reports from Meerut say that Sufiyan was beaten after being taken out of the restaurant. Police arrived at the scene after receiving information about the disturbance and shifted the injured trainer to hospital for treatment. His exact medical condition has not been officially detailed.
The woman, who had accompanied him to the restaurant, was also taken to the police station for questioning. Police have stated that her family has been informed, and her statement is expected to play a key role in determining the legal course of action. Authorities have indicated that they are examining whether there was any element of coercion, deception, or criminal intent beyond the alleged concealment of identity.
Bajrang Dal complaint
Bajrang Dal functionaries have filed a formal complaint against Sufiyan, accusing him of trapping the woman in a relationship by using a Hindu name and of misbehaving with her. On the basis of this complaint, police have registered a case under relevant sections related to cheating, harassment, and obscenity, though the precise sections have not been publicly listed in initial reports.
The Meerut episode appears similar to earlier incidents reported from cities like Indore, where a Muslim youth named Aftab was accused of hiding his faith and introducing himself as “Rahul” to a Hindu woman, later facing police action. In the Meerut case, Bajrang Dal workers have also pressured the police to treat the concealment of identity as part of a broader conspiracy, not merely a personal dispute between two consenting adults.
Police investigation and official response
Circle Officer (CO) Brahmpuri, Saumya Asthana, has confirmed that police are investigating both the allegations made by Bajrang Dal and the complaints of assault on the gym trainer. She has stated that statements from both sides are being recorded and that the role of each individual involved—those alleging deception and those participating in the beating—is under scrutiny. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage from cameras installed inside the restaurant and in the surrounding areas to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify all participants in the violence.
Legal and social implications
Legally, the Meerut case will likely hinge on two key questions: whether there is credible evidence that the gym trainer deliberately concealed his identity to exploit or harm the woman, and whether the assault on him constitutes a prosecutable act of mob violence under criminal law. Courts have in earlier judgments stressed that consensual relationships between adults, including interfaith couples, fall within the constitutional right to privacy and personal liberty, though deception or coercion can attract penal provisions.
Grooming incidents, often framed as love jihad in Bharath, have surged, with over 200 reported cases in 2024 alone involving deception, exploitation, and violence against Hindu women by Muslim men posing as Hindus.
