Mohammad Deepak Arrested in Uttarakhand for Allegedly Assaulting Businessman as Police Take Preventive Action Over Breach of Peace
Uttarakhand Police have arrested gym owner Deepak Kumar, widely known as Mohammad Deepak, following allegations of assault and criminal intimidation made by a local trader in Kotdwar. Authorities confirmed that the arrest was executed under preventive statutory provisions amid rising local tension and an apprehension of a breach of peace in the town.
The action followed a formal police complaint lodged at the Kotdwar Kotwali police station by local businessman Sanjeev Tonk. The complainant alleged that Deepak engaged in a heated confrontation with him, used abusive language, physically attacked him, and issued direct threats to kill him. Following the complaint, an FIR was initially registered under Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
As the investigation got underway, police examined digital evidence, including CCTV camera footage, circulating video clips, and photographs from the site of the altercation. Based on the initial verification of evidence, investigating officers added Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 196 (promoting enmity or disturbing harmony between different groups) of the BNS to the case.
Police authorities stated that the preliminary inquiry established a prima facie case of verbal abuse and threats against the businessman. Taking into consideration the nature of the confrontation and the possibility of localized public unrest, law enforcement invoked Section 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which provides powers for preventive arrest to avert the commission of cognisable offenses and maintain public order.
To ensure calm and reassure local shopkeepers and residents, security personnel conducted a flag march across the Kotdwar Municipal Corporation area on Thursday evening. Extra police patrols were deployed around market zones and sensitive points after several local traders gathered near the police station demanding prompt action in connection with the confrontation.
Deepak Kumar initially rose to national prominence earlier this year after stepping in during a street altercation in Kotdwar involving an elderly Muslim shopkeeper whose store name contained the word Baba. When confronted by a protesting crowd demanding the removal of the word, he identified himself on camera as Mohammad Deepak, a clip that spread rapidly across social media platforms and earned him nationwide attention and support.
The Supreme Court had recently stayed proceedings against him in connection with a separate earlier rioting matter linked to the January episode. Following the latest dispute and arrest, police reiterated that the current action relates strictly to the specific criminal complaint lodged by the trader and was initiated to ensure communal harmony and public safety in the district.