Who Is Baba Bajrangi In Real-life Whose Name Will Be Muted In Empuraan Due To Resemblance With Gujarat Riot Convict
Mohanlal starrer Prithviraj Sukumaran directorial L2: Empuraan, which sparked fury after its initial screening in the theaters on March 27, is all set to undergo over 17 edits, including the renaming of the antagonist, initially known as ‘Baba Bajrangi’.
The decision to cut several parts of the celebrated Lucifer sequel came after intense right-wing outage concerning the film‘s depiction of communal violence, featuring resemblance to the Gujarat riots of 2002.
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The movie’s antagonist character, named Balraj Patel aka Baba Bajrangi, caught right wing attention due to its resemblance to a real-life accused Gujarat rioter, Babubhai Patel, known as Babu Bajrangi.
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Who Is Gujarat Riot Accused Babu Bajrangi?
A prime convict in the 2002 Gujarat riot, Babu Bajrangi is a notorious criminal and former leader of the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing organisation. He is known for leading the horrific Naroda Patiya massacre where 97 Muslims were murdered and women were gangraped entering their homes. During an interview available online, Babu Bajrangi admitted that they showed no mercy and did not spare anyone, adding that he is even today of the view that none of them should be allowed to live, including children and women.
“Yes, everyone; (we) killed, chopped and burnt them,” he said.
When the journalist asked how he felt about killing Muslims, the accused says he enjoyed it. “We killed them, went home and slept,” Babu Bajrangi said with a sense of pride.
The former State Bajrang Dal president is also accused of ripping out a fetus from a victim woman and killing it after “swirling it on the tip of his sword” during the riots.
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He was seen bragging about participating in the gruesome massacre and graphically describing ripping the fetus of the helpless pregnant woman to journalists during a sting operation. The Naroda Patiya massacre killed around 97 Muslims, which includes 36 women, 35 children and 26 men.
“We believe in setting them on fire because these bastards don’t want to be cremated, they’re afraid of it … I have just one last wish … let me be sentenced to death … I don’t care if I’m hanged … just give me two days before my hanging and I will go and have a field day in Juhapura where seven or eight lakhs [seven or eight hundred thousand] of these people stay … I will finish them off … let a few more of them die … at least 25,000 to 50,000 should die,” these are the words of Babu Bajrangi laced with venomous rage and anger of a cannibal.
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Despite openly admitting his role in the Muslim massacre – even bragging about it, caught on tape in the sting operation – the real-life perpetrator, Babu Bajrangi, is still roaming around free on bail even after a court sentenced him to life imprisonment. It is reported that some of the violence scenes of antagonist Baba Bajrangi will be removed from Empuraan as part of the edits.
Notably, Babu Bajrangi, the convicted perpetrator of the Naroda Patiya massacre had made shocking claims about then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Babu Bajrangi says that he got a message from the chief minister that Modi would make arrangements to release him free from jail. He said that the chief minister instructed the judge, and the judge, without even opening the files, granted the bail. “Modi gave us three days to do what we wanted to do,” the accused was heard saying in the video recording by Tehelka journalists.
There are also pictures of the accused Babu Bajrangi with top BJP leaders including then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and LK Adwani, corroborating his claim regarding their alleged link in the one of the brutal Muslim massacres in the country.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who was a top official of Gujarat cadre had filed an affidavit against the then chief minister concerning the latter’s alleged role in the 2002 riots. He had claimed to have attended a meeting, during which then chief minister allegedly asked top police officials to let Hindus vent their anger against the Muslims for Godhra train tragedy though a Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court later dismissed Bhatt’s allegations.
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It was in 2022 that the Supreme Court gave clean chit to the then Gujarat chief minister (now Prime Minister) in the 2002 Gujarat riots case after two decades of legal battle. After granting bail for Babu Bajrangi in 2019, he was acquitted in 2023 despite being named as one of the key conspirators of the massacre.
A file picture of Babu Bajrangi, who bragged and graphically described rippiñg a fētus from a pregnant woman during 2002 Naroda Patiya massacrē.
(Left to Right) : L K Advani, Babu Bajrangi, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. https://t.co/6Fyzl2e5iX pic.twitter.com/jFDPHigOnz
— أمينة Amina (@AminaaKausar) March 30, 2025
After the cut in the name of the villain, many on social media have dug up the video of Babu Bajrangi boasting about massacring Muslims.
Sharing the video, a user, Nuvaid vaidyavida observed that they can pressure a film’s producers to change the name of the villain, because of the similarity in name, asking if they can change the history, the court case, the reality, the acceptance on camera, the brutality?
“Babu Bajrangi is the real life culprit and mastermind behind the Naroda Patiya massacre, one of the most intensely brutal episodes of the 2002 Gujarat riots, killing 97 Muslims (includes 36 women, 35 children & 26 men) in cold blood. He had candidly accepted his role in the massacre, even boasting about the kills, in a hidden camera interview done by Tehelka. He was sentenced to life term by a Special Court. And is now out on bail. You can pressure a film’s producers to change the name of the villain, because of the similarity in name. But can you change the history, the court case, the reality, the acceptance on camera, the brutality?,” the user wrote on X.
Babu Bajrangi is the real life culprit and mastermind behind the Naroda Patiya massacre, one of the most intensely brutal episodes of the 2002 Gujarat riots, killing 97 Muslims (includes 36 women, 35 children & 26 men) in cold blood. He had candidly accepted his role in the… pic.twitter.com/1jeHgDWb03
— Nuvaid Vaidyaravida (@NuvaidV) March 29, 2025
