“Mera naam Mohammad Deepak hai bhai,” Deepak Kumar

Kotdwar, Pauri district: A local dispute over the name of a decades-old shop escalated into a larger confrontation on Saturday after Bajrang Dal workers gathered in Kotdwar to protest against a young man who had publicly supported a Muslim shopkeeper. Police say the situation was brought under control and cases have been registered, but the incident has triggered political reactions and raised concerns about communal harmony in the region.

How the controversy began

The issue dates back to January 26, when members of the Bajrang Dal allegedly objected to the name of a shop run by a 75-year-old Muslim man on Patel Road in Kotdwar. The shop has reportedly operated for nearly 30 years under a name that includes the word “Baba.” According to police and local accounts, some activists claimed the name hurt their religious sentiments and asked the shopkeeper to change it.

Around the same time, a video surfaced on social media showing a local gym trainer, Deepak Kumar Kashyap, speaking in support of the elderly shopkeeper. In the video, he identified himself as “Mohammad Deepak,” a name that quickly drew attention online and led to backlash from some right-wing groups.

Protest in Kotdwar

On Saturday evening, Bajrang Dal workers from Dehradun, Rishikesh, and Haridwar reached Kotdwar and staged a protest against Deepak. According to police, some of the protesters gathered near his gym and raised slogans. Authorities said the crowd also briefly disrupted traffic on a national highway.

Police officials stated that they had prior security deployment in the area because Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was visiting Kotdwar the same day for official programs, including attending a bird festival and laying foundation stones for development projects in Pauri district.

As soon as information about the protest was received, additional police forces were sent to the spot. Officials said the crowd was dispersed and no major clash or violence took place.

Police action

Pauri district Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sarvesh Panwar said the police took suo motu cognizance of the incident and registered an FIR against several individuals who had come from Dehradun, accusing them of attempting to disturb public order.

Police also confirmed that a separate case was registered based on a complaint related to the earlier dispute involving the shop’s name. A flag march was conducted in Kotdwar as a precautionary step to maintain peace.

Kotdwar SHO Pradeep Negi said the January 26 dispute over the shop name was followed by the viral video in which Deepak supported the shopkeeper. “After that, the protest was directed more against the youth known as ‘Mohammad Deepak’ than the shop itself,” he said.

Deepak’s allegations

Deepak Kumar Kashyap has accused the administration of acting in a “one-sided” manner. He claimed that despite alerting police about possible unrest—sharing screenshots of social media posts that allegedly called for confrontation—adequate preventive steps were not taken.

He alleged that a large number of protesters gathered outside his gym, shouted slogans, and used abusive language, including against his family. Deepak also claimed he was taken to the police station while protesters remained at the scene for hours. He has expressed fears about his and his family’s safety but says he will continue to speak out against what he calls injustice.

Bajrang Dal’s stand

Local Bajrang Dal leader Rajesh Jadli said the group had earlier filed a police complaint related to the January 26 incident, alleging that their workers were misbehaved with when they objected to the shop’s name.

He said the protest was organized because, in their view, police did not act on their complaint. He confirmed that workers from multiple cities participated in Saturday’s demonstration.

Political reactions

The incident has also drawn political attention. Suryakant Dhasmana, Senior Vice President of the Uttarakhand Congress, criticized the state government and demanded strong security for Deepak.

He expressed concern over what he described as a series of incidents affecting law and order and communal harmony in the state, alleging that such events are damaging Uttarakhand’s image. Dhasmana said he spoke with the state’s Chief Secretary, who assured him that appropriate steps would be taken to maintain peace.

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