Kotdwar: Uttarakhand police have arrested Mohammad Deepak, a 42-year-old Kotdwar resident, following a complaint filed by local businessman Sanjeev Tonk. The arrest took place on October 1, 2026, and police have since been deployed across the town.
The immediate trigger for the arrest appears to be a dispute between Deepak and Tonk over a Facebook post connected to a recent controversy surrounding the Shahi Mosque in Ujjain. Tonk alleged that Deepak issued threats and made a remark deemed offensive toward Hindu society. Videos circulating on social media purportedly show the two men exchanging heated words before walking away from the camera. A large number of local traders subsequently gathered outside the Kotwali police station, demanding strict action against Deepak.
Deepak had previously come to public attention on Republic Day 2026, when he confronted Hindutva activists who were harassing an elderly Muslim shopkeeper over the word “baba” in the name of his store. The activists claimed a Muslim had no right to use that word. When the crowd demanded his identity, Deepak told them plainly: “Mohammad Deepak.” A larger mob then arrived and attacked him for defending the shopkeeper. Another mob allegedly assembled outside his gym on January 3.
Deepak had named specific individuals, including Aman Swedia, Siddhant Badoni, and Bhupi Chaudhary, in his complaint after the Republic Day incident. State police, however, registered FIRs only against unidentified persons for disturbing the peace.
In August, the Supreme Court stayed proceedings against Deepak in a previous rioting case filed against him in Uttarakhand. The court also stayed a March 20 Uttarakhand High Court order that had barred him from posting about the incident on social media.
The Uttarakhand High Court had earlier rejected Deepak’s requests for police protection, an FIR against those who threatened him, and a departmental inquiry against police officials. The court accused him of attempting to “sensationalise” the issue.
His arrest has drawn fresh attention to the treatment of Muslims who speak out against communal harassment in Uttarakhand.
