Rahul Gandhi meets Kotdwar’s Mohammad Deepak, shares photo on Instagram

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday met Uttarakhand youth Mohammad Deepak and shared a photograph of their interaction on Instagram, highlighting a message of equality and unity.

Sharing the image on the social media platform, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote in Hindi, “Every human being is equal. This is Indianness, this is the shop of love. Met our brother ‘Mohammad Deepak’ from Uttarakhand, such a flame of unity and courage should burn in every young Indian.”

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The meeting comes weeks after Mohammad Deepak was at the centre of a controversy in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar.

On January 26, Bajrang Dal activists protested outside the ‘Baba’ clothing store on Patel Marg to pressure its 70-year-old owner, Vakil Ahmed, to change the name of the shop.

During the protest, clashes broke out between the activists, the shop owner and his son’s friend Deepak Kumar. Kumar, identifying himself as Mohammad Deepak, asked the protesters to leave.

On January 31, a larger group of activists again gathered outside Ahmed’s shop and Kumar’s gym, blocked the road and raised slogans. Police intervened and prevented the situation from escalating further.