Deepak Kumar, a gym owner from Kotdwar, made headlines last January when he confronted a group of Bajrang Dal members who had insulted a Muslim shopkeeper. The altercation was recorded on video, and the footage spread across social media, earning him the moniker "Mohammad Deepak".
On Thursday evening, businessman Sanjeev Tonk filed a complaint at Kotdwar Kotwali police station alleging that Deepak had used abusive language, threatened to kill him, and behaved rudely. Tonk said the confrontation escalated when Deepak shouted insults and promised a fatal retribution.
Police registered a case under Sections 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and after reviewing CCTV footage and photographs, added Sections 196 and 115 for promoting enmity and causing hurt. The evidence, according to the investigators, was sufficient to establish a prima facie case.
Considering the risk of a disturbance to law and order, officers detained Deepak under Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. A flag march was also organized in the Kotdwar Municipal Corporation area later that night to reassure residents.
The incident follows Deepak's earlier viral intervention, highlighting the volatile mix of communal tensions in Pauri Garhwal. A Muslim shopkeeper who was harassed in January now says the police action has made him feel safer, and local shopkeepers are calling for continued vigilance.