Deepak vs the mob: Tracing the names Kotdwar cops didn’t

Earlier this month, Deepak Kumar made headlines after intervening to protect an elderly Muslim shopkeeper from Hindutva vigilantes in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar. What was less examined, however, was the police response that followed.

This investigation looks closely at the FIRs filed after the incident outside the shop on January 26 and the mob violence outside Deepak’s gym on January 28, and the troubling discrepancies between them.

When Deepak went to the police station with a written complaint naming 20 individuals who allegedly gathered outside his gym, created a ruckus, and threatened him, he had provided detailed information: names, mobile numbers, and even vehicle numbers. Yet, the FIR described the accused as “unidentified.” On the same evening, the police registered a case against Deepak based on a complaint by Bajrang Dal district coordinator Kamalpal. A separate FIR was filed on a complaint from the shopkeeper.

Why was Deepak named in an FIR, while those he identified were not? Why were individuals declared “unknown” despite being named in writing? What explains the disparity in police action?

Our ground investigation in Kotdwar examines these questions, traces the affiliations of those named in Deepak’s complaint, and documents the responses of those involved. We also report on the resistance we faced while attempting to report from the town. We found out that the 20 individuals Deepak Kumar named in his complaint are actually affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. 

The Congress has slammed the governing BJP over its muted response to the mob violence while Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has accused the Congress party of “appeasement” politics for supporting Deepak.

Watch this ground report on the handling of the FIRs and the larger questions it raises about policing and accountability in Uttarakhand.

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