Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:29am on 13 Feb 2026,Friday India
A Hindu gym owner in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand, has drawn national attention after he defended a Muslim shopkeeper during a dispute with Bajrang Dal activists. A video shows Deepak Kumar questioning the group for asking the shopkeeper to remove the word “Baba” from his store name. In the clip, he asks, “Are Muslims not citizens of India?” He later told BBC Hindi his action was spontaneous. After the video spread, he received praise from opposition leaders and many social media users. He has also faced protests and death threats. Police registered cases after complaints from both sides. Kumar said, “First and foremost, I am a human being.” (PC: BBC)
