Days after he intervened to defend a 70-year-old Muslim trader from harassment, Deepak Kumar says the price he paid for standing up was the near-emptying of his gym, as members quietly stopped coming and fear replaced routine in the hill town of Kotdwar.
Kumar, 38, who runs Hulk Gym from a rented building, said the facility that once drew around 150 members a day now sees barely 15, and while the solidarity he received online has been reassuring, the economic fallout at home has been immediate and punishing, according to The Indian Express.
On January 26, Kumar confronted a group of men who were pressuring an elderly shopkeeper, Vakeel Ahmed, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, to remove the word “Baba” from his shop’s name, and when asked to identify himself during the altercation, he told the crowd his name was Mohammad Deepak, a moment that was captured on video and later went viral.
The attention, however, soon turned hostile, and on January 31, members of the Bajrang Dal gathered near the gym to confront Kumar, although police intervened and prevented an escalation. A week later, the town appeared divided, as some residents expressed quiet support while others distanced themselves, and Kumar said that while people may privately approve of his actions, public approval often comes at a cost.
With a monthly rent of Rs 40,000 for the gym floor and a housing loan instalment of Rs 16,000, Kumar said the loss of members has placed his family under financial strain, even as a small group of loyal trainees promised to stay.
On Sunday, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas visited both Kumar and Ahmed, took a gym membership in a symbolic gesture, and criticised the police for booking Kumar while failing to act firmly against those who harassed the trader.
Police have since provided protection to Kumar and deployed additional forces in Kotdwar, and while he believes he did nothing wrong, he said recovery—both social and financial—will take time.