The man, Bhavesh, has sustained serious injuries and is being treated at a private hospital.
A viral video from Madhya Pradesh's Indore showed a group of men confronting a woman, riding pillion on a scooty, about going out for dinner with a man from outside her community. The woman, who was wearing a hijab, can be heard countering the men saying she has her parents' permission, but a man continues to berate her citing "laws of Islam".
"Nobody will beat up the boy," he says, referring to the visibly petrified man, Bhavesh, who was riding the two-wheeler. "We just want to speak to the woman," he continues, and asks her why she couldn't order food online instead of going out with a non-Muslim.
"You are wearing the hijab, but you are not following the law of Islam," he says, aggressively wagging his finger in her face. "Don't down the Islam (sic). No one will allow you to let down Islam," he adds.
A commotion ensues while the man is confronting the woman as someone from the crowd starts hitting Bhavesh. The video is not clear after this point, but some people can be heard screaming "Don't hit him".
The Madhya Pradesh Police filed an attempt to murder case, arrested two people, and named seven accused. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the Indore Police Commissioner to take strict action against the accused.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Singh Raghuwanshi said some men followed the two students when they left a hotel after dinner, stopped them nearby, and interrogated the woman.
"The woman argued that she had her parents' permission. The Muslim men beat up her friend. Some bystanders tried to intervene to protect the boy, they were also physically assaulted and attacked with knives. Police have filed a case of attempt to murder and all the accused are being named. Seven people have been named. The man who attacked with a knife has been arrested," he said.
One of the accused, Shoeb, reportedly attacked one of the men, Himanshu Patel, who tried to intervene. His friend Yash Joshi was also attacked by the mob.
Bhavesh has sustained serious injuries and is being treated at a private hospital.