4 min readDehradunUpdated: Mar 19, 2026 04:56 AM IST
Seeking that a “partisan” FIR against him be quashed, Uttarakhand resident ‘Mohammad’ Deepak Kumar has moved the state High Court, challenging the case and requesting a departmental inquiry against police officials who failed to act against hate crimes.
The petition, filed by Kumar and his friend Vijay Rawat, comes after they were booked based on the complaint of a Kotdwar resident.
On January 26, Kumar stood up to a group of men who were harassing a 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, to drop the word “Baba” from his shop’s name. During the confrontation, when asked his name, he told the crowd it was Mohammad Deepak. A video of the confrontation went viral, thrusting Deepak into the limelight but also bringing unwanted attention. On January 31, several members of the Bajrang Dal gathered to confront Deepak, but were restrained by the police.
Kumar had lodged a complaint against individuals who assembled in front of his gym, allegedly hurled abuses and delivered hate speeches. However, the police filed an FIR based on the complaint of a police officer against unknown accused. Kumar has stated in his petition that the police failed to take action despite evidence such as videos and details of the accused.
The petition, filed on March 13, also states that the FIR against him, based on a local resident’s complaint, has been lodged in a partisan manner by the Additional Superintendent of Police, Kotdwar, to “harass and victimise the petitioners for their act of intervening in a hate-driven incident to protect an elderly Muslim shopkeeper from communal intimidation”.
The petitioners sought that directions be given to the respondents (the police) to take immediate and effective action against perpetrators of hate crimes and hate speeches. “A detailed complaint (was lodged) at police station Kotdwar, naming the perpetrators, providing their phone numbers, vehicle details, and video footage of the hate speeches and threats. However, (the ASP) registered a lame and ineffective FIR against unidentified persons, despite the availability of clear evidence and identifications. No arrests, investigation or action have been taken against the named perpetrators to date, allowing the hate crimes to go unpunished,” the petition said.
It further said that Kumar had approached the local police authorities with complaints regarding the hate speeches, protests, and threats, seeking registration of an FIR, but no action has been taken to date, and no FIR has been registered based on his complaint.
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On the video where he is seen confronting the mob, Kumar said that the video was deliberately circulated by the Bajrang Dal on social media platforms to polarise society on communal lines, “portraying him falsely as a non-Hindu despite him being a practising Hindu by religion, solely because he identified himself as ‘Mohammed Deepak’ to promote harmony”.
The petition also accused the police of registering an FIR against him, “based on a distorted narrative ignoring the video evidence of the incidents on January 26 and 31, which clearly exonerates the petitioners and exposes the communal motives of the Bajrang Dal activists”. The action of the police is partisan, aimed at pressuring and harassing the petitioners for upholding constitutional values of fraternity and intervening in favour of an oppressed minority individual, it added.
Kumar’s writ said that his gym business has been severely affected, with patrons avoiding the premises, leading to its effective shutdown and substantial financial loss. “The petitioner has received widespread public support across the country, symbolising solidarity with his stand. This support has manifested in the form of voluntary monetary contributions deposited into the bank account. These transactions have been made without any direct or indirect solicitation by the petitioner. The local administration and bank authorities have been duly informed and intimated of these transactions to ensure transparency and compliance with all legal requirements,” he said.
The High Court on Tuesday sought details of the transactions and asked the police to furnish information on the cases registered against him. The matter is listed for Thursday.
