His gym membership plummeted for taking a stand. Now, ‘Mohammad’ Deepak gets some help from 15 Supreme Court Senior Advocates

A week later, the town, cleaved into two, has those who extended solidarity and those who feel antagonised by his act. “Half of the town supports me, but people do not applaud when you do good deeds. Honesty might come at a price,” he had told The Indian Express.

The dip in gym membership meant Kumar was struggling to pay the monthly rent of Rs 40,000 for the establishment, and the loan he borrowed to build a house.

Following the report, the Senior Advocates have pitched in Rs 10,000 each as a one-year membership fee. The move, they said, was inspired by the act of CPI(M) MP John Brittas, who had visited the gym and purchased the membership.

The senior advocate who led the drive told The Indian Express that he spoke to Deepak, who expressed an inability to accept money. The lawyer then came up with an alternative to fund the memberships and mobilised people from the fraternity to contribute. They have decided to fund annual memberships for local aspiring gym-goers who cannot afford the fees. The membership card issued to the gym-goer will carry the name of the contributor who paid for the membership. Deepak has agreed to this and begun issuing receipts to the group.

In addition to this, the group of lawyers have also extended support by pledging free legal aid to help him navigate the judicial process. “More than 20 lawyers have now joined this initiative, ensuring that Deepak has the best possible pro bono representation to challenge the legal repercussions of his January 26 stand for communal harmony,” an advocate said.

The advocate also said that the initiative is aimed at extending solidarity to Kumar’s act and sending a message to prove that “while standing up for what is right may carry a heavy price, the community will ensure it does not lead to ruin”.

Many others have pledged support to him on social media. Actor Swara Bhaskar and author Harsh Mander had also pitched the idea of purchasing memberships to help him stay afloat.

When contacted, Deepak reiterated that he was open to the idea of taking memberships and not money. “I have told everyone who reached out that I am not accepting cash. Many people have called for membership,” he said.

Fresh threat

Meanwhile, Hindu Raksha Dal leader Pinky Chaudhary posted multiple videos, levelling threats against Deepak. He had asked his followers to assemble in front of his gym on Thursday, and another video shows him standing near the police, threatening to “silence” Kumar.

“The Uttarakhand government has stopped us from going there, but my followers are headed there… We will set him straight. If someone hurts the Sanatan sentiments and if some Hindu has hurt the religion, we will correct him,” he said.

Following the video, Pauri Garhwal police said they have made security arrangements and improved the checking of all vehicles entering and exiting the district at barrier points.

“The identification and verification of suspicious individuals is also being ensured. Adequate police force has been deployed on major roads, intersections, sensitive locations, market areas, public places, and crowded zones within the town. Police teams are maintaining continuous surveillance through foot patrols and mobile patrols. Strict legal action will be taken against individuals coming from outside to vitiate the atmosphere in Kotdwar or attempting to disturb peace in any manner,” the district police said in a statement.