Dehradun, Feb. 19 -- Uttarakhand's Kotdwar drew national attention last month after Deepak Kumar, a 42-year-old gym owner, stood up against Bajrang Dal workers who had bullied 70-year-old Wakeel Ahmed, a Muslim shopkeeper, to drop the word 'Baba' from his garment shop's name. Ahmed was fortunate to have Deepak to his rescue. But across Uttarakhand in 2025 and 2026, Bajrang Dal workers have targeted several Muslim-owned shops, pressuring owners to drop names they deemed "Hindu" and display their own identities instead. Among them was 21-year-old Mohammad Sakib, who had named his shop "Lucky Hair Salon". On a winter afternoon in December 2025, Sakib was attending to customers at his salon on GMS Road in Dehradun when members of the Bajrang Dal entered and objected to the flex board outside that read "Lucky Hair Salon"-a name, Sakib said, he had used for three years without objection. "They asked my name. I replied 'Mohammad Sakib'. Then they questioned why the shop was named 'Lucky' and asked why I was wearing earrings," Sakib said. He alleged that the group accused him of hiding his religious identity. Sakib tried to reason with them that he was called Lucky by his family members and friends. They did not listen and pulled down the shutters of his shop before leaving, he said. A native of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, Sakib said he has since removed "Lucky" from the signage and replaced it with his full name. "We are outsiders here. what can we say?" he said. In January 2026, Abdul Jabbar, 52, who runs "Pundir Tailor" in Seemadwar, Dehradun, said he too was questioned by Bajrang Dal members. "They asked what connection I had with 'Pundir'. I told them we are Muslim Rajputs and Pundir is our gotra," Jabbar said. He said the group claimed that the name was associated with a Garhwali caste. According to Jabbar, the flex board was torn down on the spot. A native of Muzaffarnagar, Jabbar has been running the shop for nearly 20 years. "I even have a firm registered as Pundir Trading Corporation," he said, adding that he now plans to obtain a caste certificate to substantiate his claim. He has, however, not changed the name of his shop so far. In May 2025, a biryani stall named "HM Hotel" at DC Chowk in Haldwani became the site of another confrontation. The stall owner, 25-year-old Mohammad Irshad from Rampur, said a local youth leader objected to the name displayed on the flex board and QR code stand. He alleged that the stand was smashed and he was warned to operate strictly under his own name. "I didn't feel safe to operate my shop there anymore," Irshad said. He later shut the stall and returned home. Unlike the three earlier incidents, the episode that drew national attention involved Ahmed's Baba School Dress and Matching Centre in Kotdwar. Members of the Bajrang Dal objected to the use of the word "Baba" in the shop's name, claiming it referred to Baba Sidhbali, a local deity associated with Lord Hanuman, whose temple is located in the town. The situation escalated after Kumar stepped in. Ahmed said his family has been running the shop for over 30 years. "We kept the name because we liked it. 'Baba' is a term used for sadhus, maulvis and elders. Even BR Ambedkar is referred to as Baba," he said, adding, "I was born here. When we came, there were only around 200 people living here (in Kotdwar)." In 2025, ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, the state BJP government issued an order mandating owners of eateries along the Kanwar routes to display their photo identity cards, registration certificates and licence copies. In 2024, too, the Uttarakhand government had asked shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display nameplates with their details. On July 22, 2024, the Supreme Court, however, stayed directives issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh that asked eateries on the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names, addresses and mobile numbers of their owners and staff, but clarified that the only requirement would be to display the kind of food they are serving. Political analyst SMA Kazmi said the incidents were "part of a larger plan to socially and economically marginalise Muslims, with an eye on political gains ahead of the 2027 assembly elections." "This is a strategy to choke Muslims economically and socially. The community does not have a significant presence in government jobs and largely depends on small businesses and informal work for survival," he said. Kazmi said the debate around a proposed Muslim university, calls to restrict entry of non-Hindus at Char Dham temples, concerns over demographic change, and demands related to access at Haridwar's Hari Ki Pauri must be viewed in that broader political context. High court lawyer Kartikeya Hari Gupta said forcing someone to change the name of a shop amounts to coercion and is illegal. "If anyone is compelling a person to rename their shop, that in itself is unlawful. No one has the authority to walk into a shop and demand that it be renamed. Every individual is entitled to choose any name for their shop or establishment, subject to the constitutional freedoms available to them," he said. Gupta added that if anyone believes a particular name is deceptive or misleading, the proper course of action is to seek legal remedy. "It is for the courts to determine what is right or wrong," he said. Mohammad Shehzad, one of the three Muslim MLAs in the 70-member state assembly, alleged that such incidents are taking place under the patronage of the government. "I will raise the issue in the upcoming session of the assembly," he said. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Police said no one is permitted to take the law into their own hands. Sunil Kumar Meena, inspector general of police (law and order) and spokesperson for the state police, said, "If anybody take the law into their hands that, we take action against them as per the law." State Congress senior vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said groups targeting Muslim shopkeepers over the names of their establishments were acting with the protection of the ruling party and the government. "Whether in Kotdwar or elsewhere, organisations like the Bajrang Dal are pressuring traders to change the names of their shops with the full support of the state government. There is no one stopping them," he said. The BJP hit back, saying the Congress makes allegations of persecution of a particular community for its "appeasement politics". "The Congress indulges in politics of conspiracy, appeasement. That is why they make allegations of persecution of a particular community," said Mahendra Bhatt, state BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP. Bajrang Dal, meanwhile, defended itself. Anuj Walia, state president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), whose youth wing is the Bajrang Dal, said, "If anybody's sentiments are hurt, we respectfully ask the shopkeepers, as can be seen in the Kotdwar video. We do not harass or coerce anyone." "What is the problem in writing the proprietor's name on the flex board? Not doing so is against the law and the Constitution. It amounts to clear deception," he said. Walia added that displaying the owner's name has become necessary in the wake of incidents of spitting in food, often referred to by Hindu right-wing groups as "thook jihad"....