DEHRADUN: Tension gripped the otherwise quiet town of Kotdwar in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district on Saturday after members of the Bajrang Dal staged a large protest against a local gym trainer who had supported an elderly Muslim shopkeeper facing pressure over his shop’s name.
The trainer, Deepak Kumar Kashyap, recently went viral on social media after he publicly backed a 75-year-old shop owner whose establishment, Baba Collection, has operated for nearly three decades. Kashyap has since been referred to online as “Mohammad Deepak.”
The controversy dates back to Republic Day, when a group of activists allegedly pressured the shop owner to remove the word “Baba” from the signage, claiming it hurt religious sentiments. According to Kashyap, seven to eight individuals approached the elderly man and demanded that he change the shop’s name.
“I supported him because he has been running the shop for 30 years without any problem,” Kashyap said.
The situation escalated on Saturday when nearly 150 activists from Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar converged on Kotdwar. The group allegedly targeted the gym where Kashyap works, raising slogans, hurling abuses and creating what Kashyap described as a “riot-like situation”.
“They arrived in vehicles, and I believe some were carrying weapons,” Kashyap alleged. “They abused my family members. I had already informed the police after seeing provocative posts on Instagram, but the administration’s initial response appeared one-sided.”
Police intervened as tensions threatened to spiral. Pauri Senior Superintendent of Police Sarvesh Panwar said the authorities took suo motu cognisance of the incident.
“Some individuals from Dehradun came to Kotdwar and staged a protest on the National Highway with the intention of disturbing communal harmony,” Panwar said. “We have registered an FIR against several outsiders for their involvement. A separate case has also been filed based on a complaint by the owner of Baba Garments.”
To restore public confidence, police conducted a flag march across Kotdwar. SHO Pradeep Negi said the friction began after complaints were raised over a shop owned by a person belonging to the Muslim community which was using the word “Baba” in its name.
“The shopkeeper has been running Baba Collection for 30 years,” Negi said. “After a video showing a Hindu youth supporting him went viral, outside groups mobilised. We intercepted them, but they abandoned their vehicles and marched on foot to continue the protest.”
The town remains under heavy police vigil, with authorities warning against any further attempts to disrupt peace.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana demanded immediate security for Kashyap and wrote to Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan, expressing concern over what he described as deteriorating law and order in the state. Dhasmana alleged that “anarchic elements” operating under religious pretexts were damaging Uttarakhand’s image and claimed that recent communal incidents suggest hate-mongers enjoy patronage from the ruling BJP government.