Deep Sidhu is arrested over Jan. 26 role; 7-day remand

Punjabi actor-turnedactivist Deep Sidhu, who was allegedly involved in the violence and vandalism at Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26, was arrested by the Delhi police special cell late Monday night. On Tuesday, a Delhi court remanded Sidhu to seven days’ police custody.

Sidhu was produced before metropolitan magistrate Prigya Gupta. The police alleged he was one of the main instigators of the violent incidents at the Red Fort. Sidhu’s counsel, however, claimed that he had nothing to do with the violence and was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, DCP (Special Cell), he was arrested from the Karnal Bypass at 10.40 pm on Monday.

“Sidhu was wanted in connection with the case of instigating the crowd at the Red Fort on Republic Day. The Crime Branch will investigate his role in detail,” said the DCP.

Asked where he was hiding after the January 26 violence, Yadav said the investigation was in an initial stage.

A source said Sidhu was waiting for someone on the road when he was nabbed. “Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Sidhu was in contact with a woman friend who lives in California. He used to make videos and send it to her, and she used to upload them on his Facebook account,” said the source. Sidhu kept changing his locations to evade arrest, he added. The police had announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to Sidhu’s arrest. After the Republic Day 26 violence that had left over 500 security personnel injured and one protester dead, Sidhu was posting videos on the social media. On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with the police. Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument, where a religious flag was also hoisted.

In the FIR registered in connection with the Red Fort violence, the police said two magazines with 20 live cartridges were snatched from two constables by protesters who also damaged vehicles and robbed anti-riot gear. “The mob later hoisted different flags there. They also started creating a nuisance on the ramparts. The unruly mob was asked to come down. They went to the Meena Bazar area to enter the into Red Fort. When the police tried to take them out of Lahore Gate, the mob became violent and attacked personnel. The mob thrashed the police personnel and threw them in the wells,” the police had said in the FIR.