An Indian-American businessman, who opened the doors of his home here to over 70 people demonstrating against the killing of George Floyd, has emerged as a hero after he rescued the strangers from the clutches of the police, fed them and made sure they were safe in his house, according to US media reports.

The death of 46-year-old Floyd last week in Minneapolis has led to one of the biggest civic unrest in the history of America.

Rahul Dubey, who has been living in Washington for the last 17 years, accommodated the large number of people in his house with some adjusting on the couch, some finding space in the rooms, while some were gratified to get rest even on the ledges of the bathtub.

“There’s about 75 people in my house. Some have got couch space. There’s a family, a mother and daughter here, that I gave my son’s room to so they get some peace and quiet. Yeah, even the ledges of the bathtub, and no one’s bitching. They’re happy-no, they’re not happy. They’re safe. They’re cheering.

“They’re backing each other,” Dubey, 44, told Esquire magazine in an interview on Tuesday.

The day after Monday’s protests, Dubey, the owner of the Alvarez Dubey Trading Co, appeared in major news media outlets and was hailed as a saviour as those who took shelter in his house started tweeting about it. “Rahul saved lives last night,” one Black Lives Matter activist wrote on Twitter. “He ended this with an inspirational speech.”