'My name is Mohammad Deepak': Hindu man confronts mob bullying Muslim man in Uttarakhand, faces threats

“I am non a hindoo, I am non a moslem, I am non a Sikh, and I am not a Christian. First and foremost, I am a human being. Because after I die, I have to answer to God and to humanity, not to any religion,” gym owner Deepak Kumar in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar said in a video on Instagram. He was responding to threats he's been facing for these ideas ever since he protected a Muslim shopkeeper from harassment by a group of men claiming to be from Hindutva outfit Bajrang Dal.A mob gathered at his home on Saturday, and police had to intervene. Deepak then put out videos showing the confrontation, and shared his secular idea of India as well. “I will not back down,” he has told news outlets.The turn of events stems from Deepak's confrontation with Hindutva group members, during which he said, “My name is Mohammad Deepak!” — a sentence meant to fuse his Hindu identity with that of fellow Muslims to convey his idea of India, he later said.The phrase is viral across social media platforms, but has also brought danger to his door. Deepak was seen confronting the mob, while police pushed them apart.“I just want to say this to all of you—to my brothers, sisters, and friends—that our country needs love and affection, not hatred. You can spread as much hatred as you want; there is no stopping that. But spreading love is a very big thing,” he said in a video later. Stood up against communal bullyingDeepak was at a friend's shop on January 26 when he saw a mob threatening a 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper, Vakeel Ahmed.The mob said Ahmed must drop the word ‘baba’ from the name of his shop, ‘Baba School Dress’. Baba is usually used for old or religious men, and the men bullying Ahmed insisted this could only be used for Hindu religious men.A video gone viral since shows Deepak confronting the mob and asking why others could use ‘baba’ but not Ahmed. “The shop is 30 years old; will you change the name?” he is seen asking them.When a man from the group asks him what his name is, seeking expressly to know his identity, Deepak Kumar replies, “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”“I intended to convey that I was an Indian and everyone is equal before the law,” Deepak told The Indian Express, recounting the incident.Deepak Kumar has since been abused by rightwing handles across X, Instagram and Facebook, with his public profile on Insta flooded with comments. These include gratitude from Muslims and other people backing his ideas, while Hindutva-aligned social media users calls him a “traitor” and other, worse names. What Muslim shopkeeper saidAn FIR was later registered at the Kotdwar police station in Pauri Garhwal under sections against intimidation and assault, based on a complaint by Ahmed, who has reportedly been running the shop for 30 years.His complaint says, “On January 26, three to four boys came to my shop and claimed to be members of the Bajrang Dal. They told me to change the name of my shop from ‘Baba’ to something else. I was threatened and intimidated, and they warned that if I did not change the shop’s name, the consequences would not be good."