Pune: A shocking video from Pune has gone viral on social media, showing BJP Mahila Morcha leader Ujjwala Gaud and her associates physically assaulting a salon owner inside the premises of the Kothrud Police Station. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and drawn attention to the growing tension around religious conversion allegations.
The video shows Ujjwala Gaud and several BJP workers entering a unisex salon named Arsh located in Pune’s Kothrud area. They are seen shouting “Let’s shut this down” as they storm the premises. The group reportedly vandalized the salon, blackened its signboard, forced all customers out, and then dragged the owner and an employee into the police station compound where they were beaten in front of police personnel.
Gaud alleged that the salon owner had forced a female employee to recite Kalma for religious conversion and had also offered her Rs 1 lakh to stay silent. Acting on these claims, Gaud and her supporters took matters into their own hands and carried out the assault.
However, Pune Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam stated that there is no evidence to support the allegations of “love jihad” or forced conversion. He confirmed that the girl involved has provided a written and video statement clearly denying any coercion related to marriage or religion. “No one forced me to recite Kalma,” she stated, according to police records.
Ironically, while BJP workers claimed to be acting in defense of the girl, it is the assaulted salon staff—two Muslim youth—who now face criminal charges under BNS Sections 351(2), 79, and 352 for the alleged forced conversion.
The incident has raised serious concerns over mob justice, communal tension, and the rule of law, especially as the assault occurred within a police station compound, with officers present at the scene.
