R-Day violence accused actor Deep Sidhu held
Sidhu sent to 7-day police custody after the Delhi police alleged he was one of the main instigators in Red Fort incident
NEW DELHI: Actor-activist Deep Sidhu wanted in connection with the Red Fort violence on Republic Day has been arrested by the Delhi Police, officials said on Tuesday.
The arrest was made by a team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
A Delhi court Tuesday sent actor-activist Deep Sidhu to 7-day police custody in connection with the Red Fort violence on the Republic Day during farmers’ tractor parade against the Centre’s three new agri laws.
Metropolitan Magistrate Prigya Gupta sent Sidhu to the custody after the police alleged he was one of the main instigators of the violent incidents at the Red Fort. Sidhu’s counsel, however, claimed he had nothing to do with the violence and was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Yadav told PTI that Sidhu was arrested from Karnal Bypass at 10.40 pm on Monday, adding that he 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,” the DCP said. Asked where he was hiding after the January 26 violence, Yadav said the investigation is in an initial stage.
The police had announced a cash reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to Sidhu’s arrest.
After the Republic Day violence that had left over 500 security personnel injured and one protest or dead, Sidhu was posting videos on social media.
“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,” police sources said.
Sidhu kept changing his locations to evade arrest, they said.
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.
“The mob later hoisted different flags there. They also started creating nuisance on the rampart... 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,” police had said in the FIR.