Kotdwar: Days after ‘Mohammed Deepak’ in Uttarakhand was hailed as a hero for standing up for a Muslim shopkeeper who was being pressured by Bajrang Dal members to remove ‘baba’ from his shop name, the elderly shopowner came forward to show his support in appreciation of Deepak.
Deepak Kumar and the shopowner, Mohammed Shoaib, sat together to give an interview to reporters from Kotdwar.
Recounting his experience with shaking hands, Shoaib said, “Jo help kari hai bete ne hamare, Deepak ji ne, woh mazhab hai, matlab asli mazhab woh hai. Use dekh kar araam hua. Kyunki itni bidh mein koi bola nahi, sirf Deepak bhai aaye. Woh mujhe chahta hai ye pita samjha, joh bhi ho, woh aaya.”
(The help that Deepak ji did for us, that is real religion, real faith. Seeing him gave me relief. Because in such a large crowd, no one spoke up; only Deepak bhai came forward. He looked out for me, maybe considering me as a father, whatever the situation, he came.)
“Ek dusre ki help karna, ek dusre ka madat karna mere hisaab se karna chahiye,” Deepak said in response. (Helping one another and supporting each other is something that should be done, in my view.)
In a separate video, Deepak also appealed to everyone to maintain peaceful brotherhood, adding that the police reassured him that the incident would never happen again.
“Yesterday, some people attacked me. Afterwards, the police called me to the station, spoke with me, and assured me that whatever had happened should not have. They also said that such an incident would never happen again. I urge people who are trying to meet me to take care of themselves. When the time comes, we will meet, but right now, everyone should stay wherever they are. Please stay happy and maintain local brotherhood in your areas,” he said in a video statement.
“I appeal for peace from all of you, thank you.”
Context of the incident
The dispute began when Bajrang Dal workers objected to the name “Baba Dress,” a shop owned by Shoaib in Kotdwar. They alleged that the name could be confused with “Siddhbali Baba,” a famous Hanuman temple in Kotdwar, and demanded that the shop owner change it.
Around two and a half months ago, the Hindutva workers pressured Shoaib to change the name and were assured it would be done so after relocation.
About 10-15 days ago, Shoaib moved his shop to a new location about 30-40 meters away from its original spot on Patel Marg. Despite this, the right-wing workers were not happy and started objecting again.
On January 26, Deepak had stood in front of the Hindutva workers from Bajrang Dal and told them his name was Mohammed Deepak, forcing the protestors to leave. However, on January 31, a large group of protesters returned, chanting religious slogans, demanding Deepak be arrested.
Deepak additionally claimed that he received death threats on multiple occasions, all for standing up for a Muslim man
Police eventually filed a case against 30-40 individuals involved in the protest, and charged them for disturbing public peace, obstructing government work and manhandling police officers.
A second case was registered based on a complaint filed by local Vakil Ahmed. He accused the protesters of using abusive and casteist language, causing public disturbance.
The third case was filed against Deepak Kumar based on a complaint from Kamal Prasad.
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