INDIVIDUALS like Pinky Chaudhary, a leader of Hindu Raksha Dal, seem to enjoy wrapping themselves in disgrace and humiliation. A few days ago, after distributing swords door-to-door in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, he fled and was later arrested. Several cases are already registered against this habitual offender. Yet, because Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s police either don’t make any serious effort to arrest him—or even if they do, he easily gets bail—Pinky Chaudhary is treated very differently from people like Umar Khalid or Sharjeel Imam. That is why he continues to roam freely.
When police raided the hideouts of the man distributing swords in Ghaziabad, he ran away in fear. After securing bail, he reached Uttarakhand to harass Mohammad Deepak and began issuing threats. Pinky Chaudhary posted several videos threatening Deepak and appealed to his supporters to gather outside his gym in Kotdwar. Shockingly, in one video he’s seen standing beside police personnel while threatening to “teach Deepak a lesson.” He said, “We’ve been stopped from going to Uttarakhand, but my supporters are going there. We will teach him a lesson. If anyone hurts the Sanatan sentiments, we will deal with them fittingly.”
After these videos went viral, police in Pauri Garhwal announced strict security measures, increased vehicle checks, and deployed forces at sensitive locations, markets, intersections, and public places. They stated that suspicious persons were being identified and verified, and patrolling began in earnest. Authorities warned that any outsiders attempting to disturb peace in Kotdwar would face strict legal action.
Honestly, none of this effort would be necessary if Pinky were simply jailed—all his gang members would crawl back into their holes. Such people thrive on state patronage during riots and unrest, but beat a hasty retreat the moment police, for once, decide to strictly enforce the law.
The cacophony against Deepak has already had a devastating impact: His gym once had 150 members, but now only about 15 remain.
Deepak’s only “crime” is that he supported an elderly Muslim shopkeeper, Wakeel Ahmad, in a dispute over renaming a shop. In protest, Deepak changed his own name to Mohammad Deepak and challenged the goons to do whatever they wanted. His video went viral on social media.
Deepak said, “I deliberately changed my name to Mohammad Deepak. A human being comes first, whether Hindu or Muslim. My protest was not against any religion—it was against a mindset that tries to intimidate an elderly man.”
What began as a national debate soon echoed in Parliament. While responding to the President’s Address, Imran Pratapgarhi of Congress raised both the Kotdwar Baba Shop incident and the Ankita Bhandari case in the Rajya Sabha, saying: “On the one hand, the Prime Minister’s desk was being thumped in Parliament, while on the other, the voices demanding justice for Uttarakhand’s unfortunate daughter Ankita Bhandari were being silenced—voices that still ask: who was that VIP whose protection required Ankita’s murder?”
Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist from Pauri, was murdered at the Vanantra Resort by its owner Pulkit Arya, son of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinod Arya, in Ganga-Bhogpur in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, in September 2022.
In his address, Imran Pratapgarhi said: “When social justice was being discussed in Kotdwar, Deepak stood up to defend an elderly man against hateful forces, choosing love and neutrality. And what did Kotdwar police do? They filed serious FIRs against Deepak himself.”
He reminded the House that this all happened on Republic Day, when the Constitution was being celebrated—and when Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister was present in Kotdwar. This strongly suggests official backing.
He added: “This is the new India—where cases are not filed against rioters, but against those who advocate peace.”
He concluded with verses by Muzaffar Warsi, lamenting how silence itself becomes evidence, and how enduring oppression ends up helping the oppressor.
Later, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi openly praised Mohammad Deepak, saying he stood with the Constitution and humanity in an atmosphere of hatred and represents secular values. He emphasised the need for such youth who refuse to bow to pressure.
Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, also praised Deepak’s courage.
Yet in this “double-engine government,” the young man who supported a Muslim shopkeeper faced relentless hardship. On January 31, members of Bajrang Dal arrived in Kotdwar, raised slogans against Deepak, and disturbed the entire city’s atmosphere.
Deepak insists he was not fighting any political or religious battle—he was simply fulfilling a human duty. But now his family lives in fear. His young daughter has stopped going to school. The household constantly worries about something terrible happening.
His gym—his main source of livelihood—was shut from January 26, but despite financial and mental stress, he reopened it after a week, refusing to surrender to fear.
Deepak questioned why a shop name that had existed peacefully for 35 years suddenly became controversial. He stressed that it hurt no community. He believes outsiders are deliberately poisoning Kotdwar’s harmony.
Despite everything, he remains determined not to abandon humanity or truth.
The human conscience urges us to help the oppressed and reproaches us when we fail. Those who strangle their conscience become “dead souls”—no better than animals. Many in our country wish to rise against injustice, but the fear of the government shackles their feet.
Deepak shattered this wall of fear through action—that’s why he received extraordinary support. When someone risks everything to light the lamp of justice and equality, darkness begins to retreat.
As Rahul Gandhi often says, before setting up a “shop of love in the marketplace of hate,” one must first learn not to be afraid. Cowards cannot love—and those who cannot love cannot defeat hatred.
The next stage of love is rebellion. To make flowers of love bloom in our country, fearless rebellion is essential.
That is why this couplet by Ahmad Faraz perfectly fits Deepak (Mohammad Deepak):
Instead of complaining about the darkness of night,
It’s better to light your own little lamp.
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The article originally appeared in Urdu and was translated into English.
