My name is Mohmmad Deepak: How an Uttarakhand shop name became communal flashpoint
India Today
Uttarakhand's Kotdwar was recently in the grips of communal tension over the name of a shop owned by a Muslim man-- a controversy that saw the rise of one 'Mohammand Deepak'. With the situation now under control, we trace what exactly went down.
What was a local dispute over the name of a small clothing shop in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar has, over the last couple of weeks, spiralled into a wider law-and-order situation involving street protests, cross complaints, social media mobilisation, and heightened communal tension. After sustained mediation and on-ground action, including flag marches and intensified checking, police say that the situation is now in control. But what exactly happened in this Uttarakhand city?
At the centre of the controversy is a shop owned by a person named Mohammad Shoaib that operates under the name “Baba” – something that was objected to by members of the local Bajrang Dal unit.
Bajrang Dal activists first objected to the name of Shoaib’s shop, located on Patel Marg in Kotdwar, around two and a half months ago. The organisation argued that the word “Baba” is closely associated with Siddhbali Baba, a popular Hanuman temple in the town, and that its use by a Muslim shopkeeper could hurt religious sentiments. Bajrang Dal members demanded that Shoaib change the name of his shop.
According to police and local accounts, Shoaib reportedly told the protesters that he would consider changing the shop’s name after shifting it to a new location. This assurance temporarily cooled tensions.
In mid-January, Shoaib relocated his shop roughly 30–40 metres away from its original spot on Patel Marg. However, Shoaib continued operating the shop under the same name, “Baba”, triggering fresh objections from Bajrang Dal workers. The organisation accused Shoaib of going back on his word, and protests resumed with greater intensity and soon moved beyond verbal objections.
The first serious clash took place on January 28, when Bajrang Dal protesters gathered outside Shoaib's shop and clashed with him and his associates. Among those present during the clash was one Deepak Kumar, a gym owner who intervened as tensions escalated. In a video that later went viral on social media, Deepak confronted the protesters and questioned their rationale.
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