During a Garba event on the night of October 16th, a Muslim student named Sameer Alam was physically assaulted by members of the Bajrang Dal on the campus premises in Bhopal.
Sameer, a 24-year-old native of Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, is currently pursuing his final year of law at SAM Global University in Bhopal. He attended a Garba event organised by the university on October 16th, which took place from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Entry to the event required purchasing a pass for 200 rupees.
In a conversation with Foej, Sameer cited the fear for current political conditions in the country and stated, “we did not want to go to the event.” He further alleged that the university administration forced Muslim students into attending the event by threatening non-attendees with fines, attendance deductions and exam-related complications.
Further, Sameer noted that university faculty and the Chancellor were also present at the event, and entry was strictly limited to pass holders. “Muslim faculty members had been advised beforehand not to attend the event,” Sameer added.
At around 8:00 PM, members of the Bajrang Dal breached the entrance, proceeded directly to the stage, and issued a threat, warning: “all the Jihadis must leave in under 5 minutes”.
Sameer stated that “as he and Masoom Raza (an accompanying student), a first-year B.Tech student, tried to depart from the venue, Bajrang Dal members stopped them near the gate, demanded their names, hurled verbal abuse, ripped their shirts and physically assaulted both students for nearly ten minutes.”
Sameer further mentioned that during the assault, he lost his wallet, which contained approximately 7,000 to 8,000 rupees in cash.
Sameer and his companion managed to escape the attack by scaling over the boundary wall after a faculty member intervened, heading to their room located 10 kilometers away from the campus.
On the morning of October 17th, Sameer attempted to reach out to the university administration demanding appropriate answers; however, the university authorities have yet to respond or take any action.
In a social media post uploaded by a member of the Bajrang Dal, the individual is seen outside the Bilkhiriya police station, reportedly filing a complaint against the victim “Sameer Sheikh”—the username Sameer uses on his Instagram account. “I don’t know how they got to know my Instagram handle name,” Sameer remarked.
Whether an FIR has been registered remains unverified, as Sameer noted that he has not been contacted by the police.
Foej attempted to contact the university administration, including University Director ‘Kopal Saluja’. However, officials declined to comment, stating they would put Foej in touch with an appropriate representative, though no further follow-up was provided.
