Seventeen people, including a former BJP MLA, have been arrested for at least two incidents of vandalism in Bhopal on Valentine’s Day, after groups of people attacked a hookah bar and restaurant while accusing the owners of promoting the ‘ love jihad. ‘
“Based on the complaint and everyone who was identified, we have arrested 17 people, including former MLA member Surendra Nath Singh,” Bhopal DIG Irshad Wali told The Indian Express.
The men, who identified themselves as workers from Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and Shiv Sena, went on a rampage Sunday while holding saffron flags and chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans.
In the first case, a group that identified itself as workers from the ruling BJP youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), broke into Junkyard Cafe in Shyamla Hills in Bhopal and broke loose.
Narendra Kumar, the cafe’s manager, said in her complaint to police that around 12:20 p.m., eight people armed with hockey sticks and bats broke into the cafe and began insulting customers and allegedly misbehaving with staff. They then proceeded to smash the furniture inside the cafe.
In her statement to the police, Narendra said: “The men accused us of promoting love jihad, saying ‘You promote love jihad. This is just the trailer. If they see you inside the cafe again, we will kill you “
Around the same time, a group of about 10 people, including three women, broke into the Cowboy Restro Bar near Bittan Market, holding saffron flags and trashed the cafe.
In his complaint, a 28-year-old man, identified as Rahul Yadav, said that the group, whose members identified themselves as Shiv Sena workers, began abusing customers at the restaurant.
In his statement to the police, Yadav said: “My workers at the restaurant and I tried to intervene and during the process, we also suffered minor injuries. They damaged the furniture inside and then they left ”.
Police said many of the attackers identified themselves as affiliates of Surendra Nath Singh, the former BJP MLA of Bhopal South West.
Singh had previously led a march, after which he accused hookah bars of addicting young people and calling them “a breeding ground for the jihad of love.” He also said his teams would go out to warn restaurant owners.
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