Red Fort mayhem: Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, Lakha Sidhana booked

Deep Sidhu, delhi violence — Image Source : PTI (FILE)
Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu addresses farmers at Ghazipur during their protest against the farm laws.

Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and gangster-turned-social activist Lakha Sidhana have been named in an FIR filed by the Delhi Police in connection with violence at Red Fort on January 26.

Police said that a case is registered at Kotwali police station of North district under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and other legislations. Provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act and the Arms Act have been added in the FIR.

According to reports, police has invoked IPC sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 152 (assaulting or obstructing public servant when suppressing riot, etc), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), and 307 (attempt to murder) against them.

Thousands of protesting farmers who reached ITO from the Ghazipur border clashed with police. Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument. They also hoisted flags on the domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts of the national monument at which national tricolour is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day.

Meanwhile, the Red Fort will remain closed for visitors from January 27 to January 31.

Farmer bodies blame Deep Sidhu for mayhem

Deep Sidhu is in the eye of a storm for being among the protesters who put up a religious flag atop the Red Fort. Many farmers' bodies blamed him for inciting protesters to head towards the Red Fort during the farmers' tractor parade. They also accused 36-year-old Sidhu of allegedly trying to defame the farmers' peaceful agitation against the agri reforms introduced by the central government.

Sidhu, since he joined the farmers' agitation against the new farm legislation last year, has been considered by several farm bodies as an “agent” of the government. However, Sidhu has sought to defend the action of the protesters at the Red Fort, saying they did not remove the national flag and had put up the 'Nishan Sahib' flag as a symbolic protest.

He got into the limelight when he joined a dharna at Shambhu near Haryana border in support of the protesting farmers last year. The dharna received massive support from farmers especially the youth who favoured the demand for roll-back of the three new agri laws introduced by the central government.

Sidhu was also a close aide of BJP MP Sunny Deol, who contested from the Gurdaspur seat in Punjab during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He remained with Deol during the poll campaigning. Deol had distanced himself from Sidhu in December last year after he joined the farmers' agitation.