A controversy has erupted over a Garba event at SAM Global University in Bhopal after a Muslim law student alleged that he and another student were assaulted by members of the Bajrang Dal on campus. The incident took place on Friday evening.
An FIR registered the following day at Bilkhiriya police station, based on a complaint by a Bajrang Dal member, names the law student, Sameer Alam, among those accused in the incident.
Sameer Alam, a 24-year-old student from Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, is pursuing his final year of law at SAM Global University. According to his account, he attended the university’s Garba event alongside Masoom Raza, a first-year B.Tech student. The event required an entry pass costing ₹200.
Sameer Alam alleged that he and other Muslim students were initially reluctant to attend the event because of concerns about the prevailing political climate. However, he claimed that the university administration pressured students to participate by warning that those who did not attend could face fines, attendance deductions and complications related to examinations.
He further alleged that university faculty members and the Chancellor were present at the event. According to Sameer Alam, entry was restricted to pass holders, and Muslim faculty members had been advised beforehand not to attend.
These allegations regarding compulsory attendance and the university’s instructions could not be independently verified.
According to Sameer Alam, members of the Bajrang Dal entered the campus at around 8 pm and went towards the stage, where they allegedly called on people they described as having a “jihadi mentality” to leave the venue within five minutes.
Sameer Alam alleged that when he and Masoom Raza attempted to leave, they were stopped near the gate and asked to disclose their names. He claimed that after identifying themselves, the two students were verbally abused, had their shirts torn and were physically assaulted for approximately ten minutes.
Sameer Alam also said that he lost his wallet containing between ₹7,000 and ₹8,000 in cash during the incident.
According to his account, the students eventually escaped by climbing over a boundary wall after a faculty member intervened. They then returned to their accommodation, which Sameer Alam said was approximately 10 kilometres from the campus.
A copy of the FIR provided to Millat Times shows that a complaint was registered at Bilkhiriya police station in Bhopal district on October 17, 2026, at 5:19 pm. The reported incident took place on October 16, between 8:30 pm and 9 pm.
The complainant is identified as Pushparaj Yadav, who describes himself in the complaint as a Bajrang Dal office-bearer.
According to the complainant’s account reproduced in the FIR, he received information that a Garba programme was taking place at SAM Global University, where allegedly objectionable dancing and film songs were being performed. He claimed that he went to the venue with other Bajrang Dal members and objected to the songs and dancing.
The complaint alleges that an altercation followed and that the complainant and his associates were assaulted, abused and threatened. It also names Sameer Aalam in connection with the alleged incident.
These are allegations made by the complainant and recorded in the FIR.
The document lists provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 296(b), 131, 115(2), 351(3) and 3(5).
Sameer Alam also alleged that a Bajrang Dal member posted on social media from outside Bilkhiriya police station while filing a complaint against him, referring to him as “Sameer Sheikh”, the username he uses on Instagram.
“I don’t know how they got to know my Instagram handle name,” Sameer Alam said.
He maintained that he and Masoom Raza were students of the university, disputing any suggestion that they were outsiders who had entered the event.
Sameer Alam said he attempted to contact the university administration on the morning of October 17 to seek an explanation regarding the incident. He alleged that the administration had neither contacted the affected students nor taken appropriate action.
Millat Times also attempted to contact SAM Global University’s administration, including University Director Kopal Saluja, to seek a response to the allegations. However, she did not answer our calls, and no response had been received from her at the time of writing.
The university’s response to the allegations of pressure to attend the event, the alleged assault on its students and the circumstances in which Bajrang Dal members entered the campus remains important to establishing a fuller account of what happened.
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