An incident in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar has sparked widespread debate after police registered a first information report against two men who had stepped in to stop the harassment of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper by Hindutva supporters.

The case stems from events on January 26, when Deepak Kumar and Vijay Rawat intervened as a group targeted 70-year-old Vakeel Ahmed over the name of his shop, ‘Baba School Dress’, according to a report by The Hindu.

Residents said the group objected to Ahmed’s use of the word ‘Baba’, questioning how a Muslim shopkeeper could run a business under that name.

A video of the confrontation, which has since circulated widely on social media, shows Kumar challenging the men and asking why others were allowed to use the name ‘Baba’ while Ahmed was not.

“The shop is 30 years old, will you change the name?” he asks in the footage. When pressed for his identity, Kumar replies, “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”

Kumar, who runs a gym in the area, later said he intervened after the men began threatening the elderly shopkeeper.

Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “The 70-year-old man was asked to change the name of his shop… because he was not Hindu. I asked them not to threaten an old man. They asked me my name, and in anger, I said I was Mohammad Deepak. I intended to convey that I was an Indian and everyone was equal before the law.”

Although the group dispersed on January 26, tensions escalated days later. On January 31, more than 40 people gathered at a park in Kotdwar, raising slogans against Kumar. He alleged that he was intimidated and that threats were made against his family.
 
“Police were present there, but a large group of people were raising slogans at the park. The police said they will take legal action, but no FIR has been registered yet despite a complaint,” Kumar said, adding that he had informed the police in advance about the assembly.

Police officials stated that a complaint had been received and an inquiry would be conducted.

“We have identified a few people and will take necessary action,” an officer at the Kotdwar police station told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, an FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by shopkeeper Vakeel Ahmed.

In his complaint, Ahmed said: “On January 26, three to four boys came to my shop and claimed to be members of the Bajrang Dal… I was threatened and intimidated, and they warned that if I did not change the shop’s name, the consequences would not be good.” Police invoked Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 333 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

As messages praising Kumar’s intervention and calling it an act of communal harmony spread on social media, right-wing groups responded with further mobilisation.

Police told The Hindu that protesters blocked a national highway during the January 31 sloganeering, causing traffic disruption and raising concerns about public order.

Kumar told the newspaper that the situation left his family frightened. He said his mother, wife and five-year-old daughter were alone at home while protesters raised slogans outside his house.

“I fear for my life,” he was quoted as saying, a statement also captured in a video shared by journalist Piyush Rai.

Sarvesh Panwar, Superintendent of Police, Pauri Garhwal, told The Hindu that the FIR against Kumar and Rawat was registered following a complaint by two Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal members, Gaurav Kashyap and Kamal Pal.

According to the SP, the complainants alleged that the two men attacked them with intent to harm, snatched their money, watch and phone, and used caste-based slurs. The complainants claimed they had gone to the area for door-to-door outreach to mobilise support against Kumar and Rawat.

Police said two additional FIRs were lodged the same night—one against unnamed right-wing group members for blocking roads and disturbing public order, and another against two named and several unnamed individuals based on Ahmed’s complaint, invoking charges of trespassing, criminal intimidation, intentional insult and causing hurt.

Unverified videos circulating on social media show alleged VHP and Bajrang Dal members moving through parts of Uttarakhand, purportedly with the intention of harassing Kumar. Fact-checker Mohammad Zubair has shared multiple videos that appear to show the same group entering a school in Dehradun and other establishments to protest against songs and names.

The episode has also drawn political attention.

In a post on X, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described Kumar as a hero and said:
“Deepak is fighting for the Constitution and humanity – for that Constitution which the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are conspiring every day to trample underfoot.
He is a living symbol of a shop of love in the marketplace of hate, and that’s what stings those in power the most.

The Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the country’s economy and society, so that India remains divided and a few people continue to rule on the crutches of fear.
Uttarakhand’s BJP government is openly siding with those anti-social forces that are engaged in intimidating and harassing ordinary citizens.

No country can move forward in an atmosphere of hate, fear, and anarchy. Without peace, development is just an empty slogan.

We need more Deepaks – those who do not bow, who do not fear, and who stand firmly with the Constitution with all their might.

We are with you, brother. Don’t be afraid. You are a lion-hearted warrior.”