New Delhi: A gym owner in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar is facing protests from Hindutva groups, days after he intervened to stop the harassment of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper.
Deepak Kumar was at a friend’s shop on January 26 when he observed a group harassing his neighbour, Vakeel Ahmed, regarding the name of his establishment. On Saturday (January 31), a group comprising over 40 people gathered in Kotdwar to raise slogans against Kumar.
Kumar, who runs a gym in the area, said he had intervened when the men threatened Ahmed (70) over the use of the word ‘Baba’ in his shop’s name, ‘Baba School Dress’.
In a video of the incident, Kumar is seen confronting the group, questioning why others were permitted to use the name ‘Baba’ while Ahmed was not.
“The shop is 30 years old, will you change the name?” he asks in the footage. When the group demanded to know his name, Kumar replied: “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Kumar said, “The 70-year-old man was asked to change the name of his shop… because he was not Hindu. I asked them not to threaten an old man. They asked me my name, and in anger, I said I was Mohammad Deepak. I intended to convey that I was an Indian and everyone was equal before the law.”
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
