FIR for 'Rioting' Against Men Who Defended Muslim Man Who Was Attacked by VHP
New Delhi: Uttarakhand police have filed a first information report against two men who had intervened when Hindutva supporters were harassing an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, The Hindu has reported.
As The Wire has noted on the basis of reports, on January 26, Kotdwar residents Deepak Kumar and Vijay Rawat saw a group harassing 70-year-old Vakeel Ahmed over the fact that his shop was called 'Baba School Dress'. In a video of the incident that has been circulated multiple times, Kumar is seen confronting the group. When the group asks for his name, Kumar is heard saying, “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”
While on social media, many spoke of Kumar's kindness and rare ability to uphold amity, Uttarakhand's Hindutva supporters had something else in mind.
On January 31, a group of over 40 people gathered to raise slogans against Kumar. Police told The Hindu that the rabble-rousers even blocked a national highway, leading to traffic disruption and raising concerns over public order.
Kumar told the paper that his mother, his five-year-old daughter and wife, were alone at home when protesters were raising slogans against him outside his house. "I fear for my life,” Kumar was quoted as having said. A video shared by journalist Piyush Rai also has him saying as much.
Hello @uttarakhandcops, Why is @PauriPolice protecting outsider Bajrang Dal goons instead of the locals? Several videos clearly show them spreading fear and attacking residents. There are many incidents/videos of them terrorising local people. pic.twitter.com/2LBIn7KGm3
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 1, 2026
Sarvesh Panwar, the Superintendent of Police, Pauri Garhwal, told the paper that the FIR against Kumar and Rawat was lodged following a complaint filed by two Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal members named Gaurav Kashyap and Kamal Pal. The two were booked for criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing hurt, rioting and breach of peace.
“The complaint alleged that the accused men attacked them with intent to harm them. The complainants also alleged that the accused snatched their money, watch and phone and used caste-based slurs to intimidate them. The complainants, members of VHP and Bajrang Dal, claimed to have gone to the spot for door-to-door outreach to drum up support against the duo,” the SP said, according to the paper.
Two other FIRs have been lodged – against unnamed members of rightwing groups for breach of peace after they blocked roads in their protests against Kumar and Rawat, and against two named and more unnamed men for trespassing, intentional insults intended to provoke a breach of public peace, criminal intimidation and causing hurt.
The latter is on the basis of a complaint by the shopkeeper Vakeel Ahmed. All three FIRs were lodged on the night of January 31.
Unconfirmed reports across social media show incidents in which VHP and Bajrang Dal members are seen roaming the streets of Uttarakhand with the alleged intention of harassing Kumar. Fact-checker Mohammad Zubair has posted several videos that record the same group of Bajrang Dal goons entering a school in Dehradun and other establishments and protesting against songs and names.
In a post on X, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called Kumar a hero and said:
"Deepak is fighting for the Constitution and humanity - for that Constitution which the BJP and the Sangh Parivar are conspiring every day to trample underfoot.
"He is a living symbol of a shop of love in the marketplace of hate, and that's what stings those in power the most.
"The Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the country's economy and society, so that India remains divided and a few people continue to rule on the crutches of fear. Uttarakhand's BJP government is openly siding with those anti-social forces that are engaged in intimidating and harassing ordinary citizens.
"No country can move forward in an atmosphere of hate, fear, and anarchy. Without peace, development is just an empty slogan.
"We need more Deepaks - those who do not bow, who do not fear, and who stand firmly with the Constitution with all their might.
"We are with you, brother. Don't be afraid. You are a lion-hearted warrior. 🇮🇳
This article went live on February second, two thousand twenty six, at ten minutes past two in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
