Deepak Kumar, the Uttarakhand gym owner who identified himself as Mohammad Deepak while standing up to a group of Bajrang Dal activists harassing an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, has been receiving death threats.
Police in Kotdwar have registered a case against a social media user for announcing a reward of ₹2 lakh for whoever kills Deepak. Although nobody is named, the accused identifies himself as Raja Utkarsh on social media. The police have tracked this person to Motihari in Bihar, Sarvesh Panwar, senior superintendent of police of Pauri Garhwal under which Kotdwar falls, said.
Pradeep Negi, a police inspector, said: “We are in touch with Bihar police and trying to nab the culprit.”
A large number of Bajrang Dal members had barged into Baba School Dresses & Matching Centre, owned by Mohammad Shoeb, 60, on January 31 and asked him to either remove the board bearing the name “Baba” or accept Hinduism. The activists said the only “Baba” they recognised and revered was Lord Hanuman, the presiding deity of the local Sidhbali temple.
Deepak, whose gym is nearby, intervened and when the Bajrang members asked him who he was, he said: “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”
A few days after the incident, Uttarakhand police registered a case against Deepak for allegedly using foul language and disturbing law and order and questioned him.
