₹2 lakh offered for killing man who stood up for Uttarakhand Muslim shopkeeper

Uttarakhand Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against the man who allegedly announced the ₹2 lakh reward for killing Deepak Kumar

Uttarakhand Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against a man for allegedly announcing a ₹2 lakh reward for killing Deepak Kumar, a gym owner who defended an elderly Muslim shopkeeper when Bajrang Dal men harassed him for dropping the word “Baba” from his shop’s name in Kotdwar.

Deepak Kumar, a gym owner, defended an elderly Muslim shopkeeper.

The FIR was registered under section 351 (3) (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) late on Sunday on Kumar’s complaint.

In his complaint, Kumar said that he came across a video on social media in which a person is seen threatening him and announcing a reward of ₹2 lakh for killing him. He said that he and his family were living in fear due to the death threat. “The video is going viral on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,” he said.

In the purported video, the man with a tilak on his forehead is seen holding a bundle of ₹500 denomination currency notes in his left hand. He can be heard saying, “Whoever kills Mohammad Deepak and carries out the task of ‘educating’ him about Sanatan Dharma, will be given ₹2 lakh.” HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Assistant police superintendent Chandra Mohan Singh said, “We registered the FIR after receiving a complaint from Deepak Kumar. The man seen issuing the threat in the video has been identified as Utkarsh Singh, a resident of East Champaran district in Bihar. We are taking further action in the matter.”

On January 26, Kumar intervened after a group of Bajrang Dal men harassed the 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper at Kotdwar over the name of his shop “Baba School Dress and Matching Centre”. The Bajrang Dal men objected to the use of the word “Baba”, claiming it referred to Baba Sidhbali, a local deity associated with Lord Hanuman, whose famous temple is located in the town.

Kumar was standing outside a friend’s shop when he stepped in. During the exchange, the Bajrang Dal asked Kumar his name, to which he replied that his name was Mohammad Deepak. A video of the incident later went viral on social media, after which Kumar began to be referred to as Mohammad Deepak.

On January 31, Bajrang Dal workers staged a demonstration outside Kumar’s gym in Kotdwar and threatened to “teach him a lesson”.