Uttarakhand police step up security in ‘Mohammad Deepak’s’ town as row pits BJP against Congress

Kotdwar police station house officer Pradeeep Negi said that they have restricted the entry of people after social media influencers entered the town. “We are trying to avert any untoward situation,” he added.

On January 26, Deepak, 37, 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. A video of the confrontation went viral, thrusting Deepak into the limelight but also bringing unwanted attention. On Saturday, several members of the Bajrang Dal gathered to confront Deepak, but were restrained by the police.

Three FIRs have been filed so far – one on the complaint of Vakeel Ahmed, the shopkeeper who was harassed; one on the complaint of a resident of Kotdwar against Deepak and his friend Vijay Rawat, who was with him on January 26 and is also seen in the video; and one by the police against unknown persons of Bajrang Dal.

Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, Deepak had said, “I said my name was Mohammad Deepak because it was the right thing to do. I am accountable only to God, and standing up for a man who was being attacked for his religion was a humane thing. I’m not fazed by these protests.”

The police have amped up surveillance at key and sensitive locations in the city. “The police administration is also ensuring that citizens do not face any inconvenience and that peace and a harmonious atmosphere are further strengthened through public cooperation,” it said.

Kumar said that things were getting back to normal on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the BJP and the Congress have attacked each other for attempting to disturb peace in the state. Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Kumar, BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt called the incident unfortunate and said that Congress leader Gandhi’s remarks on the matter are a deliberate attempt to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of “Devbhoomi”.

In a viral video of the incident, Kumar was seen confronting the mob threatening the shopkeeper. (Express photo by Aiswarya Raj)

“The negative role played by local Congress leaders in the incident, and their attempts to unnecessarily escalate the issue, are clearly visible. The government will not show any laxity in matters related to law and order and is acting in accordance with its image of a zero-tolerance policy. All sides need to exercise patience,” he added. Referring to the social media post of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Bhatt expressed concern over whether the incident was pre-planned.

The Congress questioned why, instead of taking action against anti-social elements who protested and abused Kumar over his action, cases were registered against Deepak Kumar and Vijay Rawat, while a case against the anti-social elements was lodged against “unknown persons”.

“This clearly shows that such incidents are taking place under the patronage of the BJP government and the BJP party in the state to promote communal polarisation,” said senior vice-president of the state Congress, Suryakant Dhasmana. Referring to the murder of Tripura student Anjel Chakma and assault on Tabish Ahmed, a Kashmiri shawl seller, along with this, Dhasmana said, “These incidents prove that the ruling party and the government in the state are shamelessly indulging in the politics of religious polarisation for power, and for this purpose have given a free hand to anti-social elements.”