courtesy HT FEB 10

Deep Sidhu held by Delhi cops in Karnal

Actor Deep Sidhu in custody of Delhi Police special cell sleuths following his arrest from Karnal bypass on Monday night. SANJEEV VERMA/HT PHOTO
HT Correspondents

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New Delhi : Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu was arrested from Haryana’s Karnal on Monday night for his alleged role in the violence and vandalism at the Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day, Delhi Police said on Tuesday, claiming that he played a key role in instigating protesters.

Sidhu was produced before a city court on Tuesday afternoon, which sent him to seven days in police custody. Police told the court that Sidhu congratulated the men who hoisted flags at the Red Fort and also did a Facebook live from the complex. Police said he was seen entering the Red Fort with swords, sticks and flags and delivered speeches to incite people.

Police said many videos on his verified Facebook page through which he claimed to be innocent and was not among the rioters were uploaded from the US. In those videos, Sidhu said he was not a “traitor” or a “rioter”.

Police officers, privy to the case details, said that after Sidhu’s photos and videos surfaced on social media, he fled to different places in Punjab such as Zirakpur and Ludhiana as well as parts of Haryana. His last location, until he switched off his cell phone, was near the Singhu border.

Police had announced a ₹1 lakh cash reward for information leading to Sidhu’s arrest, who was among eight suspects wanted in the Red Fort violence case.