Kotdwar: A group of Hindutva goons harassed an elderly Muslim shopkeeper in Kotdwar town of Uttarakhand’s Puri Garhwal district, demanding he change the name of his store, “Baba Shop,” claiming the name is misleading.
However, neighbouring locals, including Hindus, stepped in to defend the Muslim owner and eventually drove the right-wing workers away.
The incident took place in Patel Marg, Kotdwar, an area with a mix of Hindu and Muslim-owned shops, located behind the Jama Masjid. “Yeh baba naam hatau aap, ya toh baba ban jao aap. (Remove the Baba name, or become a Baba yourself),” a mob member could be heard saying.
Just then, a young man named Mohammed Deepak intervened, standing firm against the mob. He questioned their authority to ask the shop owner to change its name. The Hindutva men insisted they had approached the elderly Muslim before about the issue.
Deepak was joined by another person who eventually drove off the mob. During their altercation, when the right-wing group asked his name, his answer left them unsettled. “My name is Mohammed Deepak. What do you have to do with my name?” he asked curtly.
A video of the incident has since gone viral.
Deepak was widely praised online for supporting the elderly Muslim shop owner by standing up to the mob in an act of solidarity against the rampant mob mentality across India.
“They came and started pressuring me to remove the shop’s name. They said it was not acceptable. As it was our 30-year-old brand name, I tried to explain, but they kept harassing me,” Shoaib Salmani, the shop owner, was quoted by Maktoob Media.
Salmani claimed that the mob had confronted them four months ago on the same issue. “They came four months ago, too. Upon their insistence, we wrote the name of the owner on the board, though it was not necessary, as we are known as Baba Shop and it is a common name,” he said.
Initially, he had filed a complaint with the police; however, the matter had been settled following Deepak’s intervention, Salmani said.
“What Deepak has done is appreciable, and more people should show the courage he has shown. He truly showed that humanity still exists, and every threat and intimidation is small if confronted with courage and humanity,” Salmani noted.
Deepak claims to be neither a Hindu nor a Muslim
In a video statement, Deepak has said that he is “neither a Muslim, nor a Hindu, nor am I a Sikh.”
“Above everything, I am a human being first,” he said. Acknowledging his viral video, Deepak said, “Targeting a person, in my opinion, is wrong. Whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim.”
“I have a wish for everyone. This country needs love, not hate. It is very easy to show hate towards someone, but to spread love is a big thing. Please show love to this country,” he added.
