Police failed to act against Uttarakhand mob despite evidence, ‘Mohammad Deepak’ tells court

Uttarakhand resident Deepak Kumar has moved the High Court challenging the case against him and requesting a departmental inquiry against police officers who allegedly failed to act against hate crimes, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

Kumar and another person booked in the matter, Vijay Rawat, contended that the first information report filed against them is partisan.

The case against Kumar and Rawat was filed in late January. The two Hindu men had opposed the harassment of an elderly Muslim shopkeeper by alleged Bajrang Dal members in the Pauri Garhwal district.

A mob had on January 26 arrived at the shop of Vakeel Ahmed, objecting to him using the word “Baba” in the name of his shop. Kumar, a gym owner, and Rawat objected to the mob’s actions, after which they were asked not to intervene.

The FIR had been registered based on a complaint by two persons who are members of the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The outfits are a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Subsequently, a group of about 40 persons gathered near Kumar’s gym and shouted slogans against him. The protesters also blocked a national highway.

Kumar had filed a complaint against the persons who had gathered in front of...

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