Courage — Muhammad Deepak Kumar

Picture this. It is like any other morning, and you are starting your workday. On the road, you find a group of ruffians harassing a very old man. The group appears to be part of an organization, and the person is being targeted based on his identity.

Will you intervene to even find the reason? Most probably not. In fact, almost everyone will look away, and walk away too. Only a handful will possibly stick around, not to help, but to record videos and share on social media.

Ok, let us assume you are an exception and get involved. But the group of harassers is large, more than 150 of them. They are violent, shouting slogans, and hell-bent on carrying on with the act and generating fear.

You also find that no one else is coming forward to stand with you. Also, the victim is completely helpless and is hoping somehow to come out of the ordeal alive.

And yes, you get no benefits out of this, and possibly no appreciation, too. The only thing that looks certain is that you are attracting the attention of a bunch of difficult people.

I suspect that by this time, the number of people who want to stick their neck out has almost reached zero. This is not an exception; this is reality. In a society of scarcity like ours, where we constantly push down others to corner resources for self and family, this is an expected behaviour. This is not shameful in the eyes of others, just business as usual.

But Deepak Kumar, a bodybuilder and a fitness instructor of Kotdwar, a small town in Uttarakhand, is no ordinary person. He is a common man, he is from among us, but still feels like he is not one of us.

On March 25th, 2026, Deepak was opening his gymnasium and found that Vakeel Ahmed, who had a shop next to him also there. Vakeel Ahmed, who is a Muslim, is almost 80 years old and has an early onset of Parkinson’s. This meeting was an everyday story.

But today was different. Soon, Vakeel Ahmed was surrounded by around 150 young men, who were from Bahrang Dal. Professing saffron and tilak, they accosted Vakeel Ahmed and demanded that he drop the word “Baba” from the name of his shop — “Baba School Dress”.

Now, anyone who is suddenly surrounded by a group of unknown, unruly people and asked to do something under threat will find it extremely offensive. I can talk of myself — I don’t need others’ prodding to prove my nationalism or love or religiosity, or to profess my alignment to an ideology, or, for that matter, anything. And Vakeel Ahmed is a Muslim, old, and possibly facing such a situation for the first time. So he was at the same time scared as well as dumbfounded.

Deepak Kumar intervened. He wanted the group to leave Vakeel Ahmed. Naturally, he was also confronted, starting with being asked why he is bothered when it is not someone from his religion who is involved.

There came the moment of truth. Deepak Kumar said his name is Muhammad Deepak as a mark of solidarity, and stood firm and tall with his conviction.

The retaliation was swift. No one wants their fief challenged, and more so when a group is trying to impose its domination on a locality.

FIR and counter FIR were filed. Deepak was appreciated for standing with traditional Indian values of inclusivity and empathy. Almost everyone expects the case against him will soon be dismissed.

That was not to be. Times have changed.

While police struggled to identify any of the 150 goons, they called Deepak to the police station for investigation. In spite of closing the case at the PS as a bogus one, it was taken to the court. And when Deepak reached the High Court for relief, he was hauled up by the judge for making his views known to the public. Deepak was reminded that he is an accused and needs to behave accordingly.

On the other hand, Deepak’s business started to suffer. Clients walked away, and revenue fell. People from across India sent some money, but it was not enough. Last we know, he is closing his gym as he is not in a position to even pay the rent.

We all saw Deepak well up in an interview. He is a strong man, but even the hardest breaks down when the system gang up and conspires unjustly. The crime? Standing for a just cause. For Being Human.

I think Deepak has a long road ahead; the relief will not be easy. His calling as a considerate human being has disturbed the applecart of a much bigger plan, and they are not going to give an inch to lose the plot.

So what will Deepak Kumar, or rather Muhammad Deepak, get out of all the sufferings?

Probably nothing, except two: — A name in the annals of time — A clear conscience to sleep and live well

A bit poetic to say I know, but is that not what we all aspire to, but almost nobody ever gets?