Dehradun: A gym owner from Pauri Garhwal’s Kotdwar, Deepak Kumar, who shot into the limelight for confronting members of Bajrang Dal harassing a Muslim shopkeeper early this year, was arrested on Thursday, October 1, for allegedly abusing, assaulting and threatening a businessman, police said.
Police said the arrest was made as a preventive measure amid apprehension of a breach of peace.
According to police, Deepak was arrested in the evening following an investigation into a complaint lodged by businessman Sanjeev Tonk at Kotdwar Kotwali police station.
Tonk alleged that Deepak behaved rudely with him, used abusive language and threatened to kill him, police said.
A case was initially registered against Deepak under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.
During the investigation, police said Sections 196 (promoting enmity or disturbing harmony between different groups on grounds including religion, caste or language) and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS were also added based on CCTV footage, photographs and other evidence.
Police said the investigation revealed a prima facie case that Deepak had abused the complainant and threatened to kill him.
Considering the evidence and apprehension of a disturbance to law and order, Deepak was arrested under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which provides for preventive arrest to stop the commission of a cognisable offence, police said.
As a security measure, police also conducted a flag march in the Kotdwar Municipal Corporation area late Thursday evening.
Deepak had made headlines in January after he intervened when some people objected to the use of the word ‘Baba’ in the name of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper’s establishment in Kotdwar.
During an argument with the protesters, Deepak identified himself as ‘Mohammad Deepak’. A video of the incident subsequently went viral on social media, following which he became known by that name, police said.
