‘No one will be spared’: Police name farm leaders, say they fanned flames

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Wednesday said “no one will be spared” for the violence during the tractor march organised by farm unions, accused them of “betrayal” by not sticking to the pre-decided routes, and said the force was taking a “serious view” of the hoisting of flags by protesters on the ramparts of Red Fort.

Delhi’s police commissioner SN Shrivastava said at least 25 criminal cases have been registered, and multiple farm leaders would have to join the investigation. One of the FIRS mentions Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav, social activist Medha Patkar and Bharatiya Kisan Uniontikait (Bku-tikait) leader Rakesh Tikait among 37 leaders of the protest who had “a preplanned objective” of not following the mutually agreed route and timing of their rally and “disrupting” the Republic Day parade.

These 37 people were not named as accused, but identified as those involved in multiple rounds of talks with the government and the police, and also those who issued threats to break barricades.

“The farmer leaders did not behave responsibly...,” Shrivastava said. In response to a question on the role of Punjab actor, Deep Sidhu, whose has been accused of leading the violent mob at Red Fort, Shrivastava said that police would probe the role of everyone and question them as per the law.