A gym owner stepped in to protect a frail, 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper with Parkinson’s disease from a group of men demanding he drop “Baba” from his shop’s name. Days later, he is the one facing police cases, threats, and mobs outside his gym.

Kotdwar is now barricaded and under heavy police watch. Newslaundry was only allowed to enter after multiple phone calls and requests to several police officers who initially questioned the need for “Delhi media” to be in the town when the situation had already improved.

To talk about this reality on the ground, we met Deepak Kumar Kashyap – who is now known popularly as “Muhammad Deepak” since that is the name he defiantly gave Hindutva cadres during the first confrontation on January 26. 

After the video of him standing up to the mob went viral, Bajrang Dal supporters had gathered outside his gym on January 31, threats poured in, and multiple FIRs followed, including one against Deepak himself. Several questions emerged about the police role too. 

Deepak said the police stood by for hours as mobs abused and intimidated his family. Despite giving specifics of those involved, the FIR based on his complaint lists only “unidentified persons”. “Had the police been doing their job right, I would never have been booked in an FIR. They had assured me…but they allowed Hindutva cadres to do whatever they wanted to do for around four-five hours…they perpetrated terror. You know the kind of language they use.”

On the silence from the governing BJP on the episode, he says it’s “saddening”, considering that one community is being targeted. 

On his birthday, he was preparing to head to a Hanuman temple – the same deity invoked by supporters of the very group now targeting him. “I don’t know how they call themselves followers of Hanuman. I too am a follower of Hanuman but I don’t use this kind of language that they do.”

Watch.

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