- By Shubham Bajpai
- Wed, 18 Mar 2026 08:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Uttarakhand resident 'Mohammad' Deepak Kumar, who made headlines after he confronted a group of men for harassing an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, has moved the state High Court, challenging a case filed against him and seeking a departmental inquiry against police officials, for failing to act against hate crimes in the state.
Kumar and his friend Vijay Rawat filed the petition on March 13 after the police registered an FIR against them on a complaint filed by a resident of Kotdwar.
He has alleged that the FIR against him was lodged in a partisan manner by the Kotdwar Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), to "harass and victimise" them for acting to prevent a hate-driven incident and protect an elderly Muslim shopkeeper from "communal intimidation."
Kumar has sought directions from the police to take immediate and effective action against perpetrators of hate crimes and hate speeches. The incident took place on January 26, when an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, suffering from Parkinson's disease, decided to drop the word "Baba" from his shop name.
During the incident, a video of which was recorded and shared online, he was asked his name, to which he replied, 'Mohammad Deepak Kumar'. Deepak hogged the limelight on January 31, when a group of members of Bajrang Dal gathered outside his gym, but the police restrained them.
Kumar has alleged that despite the presence of video evidence and his complaint against those who hurled abuses outside his gym, the police failed to act and filed a case against unknown accused instead.
"A detailed complaint (was lodged) at police station Kotdwar, naming the perpetrators, providing their phone numbers, vehicle details, and video footage of the hate speeches and threats. However, the ASP registered a lame and ineffective FIR against unidentified persons, despite the availability of clear evidence and identification. No arrests, investigation or action have been taken against the named perpetrators to date, allowing the hate crimes to go unpunished,” the petition said.
In his petition, he had also accused the police of registering a case against him, "based on a distorted narrative ignoring the video evidence of the incidents on January 26 and 31, which clearly exonerates the petitioners and exposes the communal motives of the Bajrang Dal activists".
He added that the police action was partisan and is intended to pressure and harass the petitioners.