3 months ago
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Congress person Rahul Gandhi connected Monday (February 23, 2026) met a gym proprietor from Uttarakhand who changeable into the limelight arsenic "Mohammad Deepak" for taking connected Bajrang Dal activists allegedly harassing a Muslim shopkeeper, and expressed enactment by telling him that helium would travel to Kotdwar to instrumentality rank successful the gym.
Congress person Vaibhav Walia, the gym proprietor Deepak Kumar and his person Vijay Rawat, on with respective others, were contiguous astatine the meeting, which took spot astatine the 10, Janpanth residence of Congress Parliamentary Party main Sonia Gandhi. Mr. Deepak besides met Sonia Gandhi.
"Every quality being is equal. This is Indianness, this is ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’. Meeting with member Mohammad Deepak from Uttarakhand - This aforesaid occurrence of unity and courageousness should pain successful each Indian youth," Rahul Gandhi, who besides spoke with Deepak's woman implicit the phone, said successful a Facebook post.
Also Read | ‘Mohammed’ Deepak gets question of enactment crossed India aft quality of his gym rank diminution goes viral
After the meeting, Mr. Kumar told reporters, "Rahul ji invited me. He introduced maine to Sonia ji and besides spoke with my woman implicit the phone. He told maine that you person done a bully occupation and I volition travel to Kotdwar and instrumentality a rank astatine your gym."
Congress person Vaibhav Walia, who had walked with Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, said, "Mohammad Deepak has carried guardant the connection that Rahul Gandhi gave done the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' — which is of opening 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' crossed the country.”
"We are grateful to Rahul ji for honouring a young antheral from Uttarakhand who stood up for humanity and love. We anticipation that emotion volition prevail and hatred volition suffer successful Uttarakhand and the full country," Mr. Walia said.
On January 26, Bajrang Dal activists protested extracurricular the ‘Baba’ covering store connected Patel Marg successful Kotdwar to unit its 70-year-old owner, Vakil Ahmed, to alteration the sanction of the shop.
Also Read | CPI(M) person Brittas meets Uttarakhand gym proprietor Deepak, shopkeeper, aft alleged right-wing harassment
During the protest, clashes broke retired betwixt the activists, store proprietor Vakil Ahmed and his son's person Deepak Kumar, aft which Mr. Kumar, identifying himself arsenic Mohammad Deepak, forced the protesters to retreat.
On January 31, a larger radical of activists again gathered extracurricular Mr. Ahmed's store and Mr. Kumar's gym, blocked the roadworthy and shouted slogans. However, constabulary involution prevented escalation. Three abstracted FIRs person been filed successful transportation with the incidents.
Fresh concerns person emerged pursuing a viral video by the Hindu Raksha Dal, successful which a antheral could beryllium seen threatening to march to Kotdwara connected February 12 to "teach Deepak a lesson".
Local authorities person maintained a strict vigil to forestall immoderate flare-up.
Mr. Kumar, the 42-year-old proprietor of The 'Hulk' gym successful Uttarakhand's Kotdwara, had earlier said his concern has collapsed since helium confronted Bajrang Dal activists.
Also Read | Two men who opposed harassment of Muslim shopkeeper booked successful Uttarakhand
He had said the ongoing hostility has made his livelihood a casualty of the dispute.
Following the incident, Mr. Gandhi had expressed enactment for Mr. Kumar and alleged that the Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the system and the nine to support India divided.
The Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha had said that Mr. Deepak is simply a leader of India arsenic helium is warring for the Constitution and humanity.
