Red Fort violence: One more held, Deep Sidhu still at large

New Delhi: As the Crime Branch continues to wait for farmer leaders to appear before them in connection with the Republic Day violence at Red Fort, tries to connect the dots and find a common link between those arrested and continues raids for key suspects, one more accused in the case was arrested, the Delhi Police said on Sunday.

The Special Investigation Team probing the case arrested him from Chandigarh. Singh was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information leading to his arrest. Police said that he was either trying to flee the country or was hiding from authorities in Punjab, adding that his connection to the other seven suspects in the Red Fort case will now be probed.

Police said that Singh is a native of Singhoha Karnal in Haryana. Instead of joining the probe, he was evading arrest intentionally after which a reward was declared for his arrest along with that of the other suspects.

"His connection, relation with one Jugraj Singh, one Deep Sidhu to be probed. We will check whether they have any kind of connection and how he was mobilised during the violence," one source said.

Reports also came in that actor Deep Sidhu, who has been untraceable according to the police, was using an accomplice to post his videos online from a different country to avoid detection by law enforcement authorities. A source said they have also come through various forwarded messages regarding the same query but at present, it is tough to say anything. "All possibilities are being probed," the official said.

Police have declared a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone with information leading to his arrest.

Sukhdev Singh has been arrested under IPC sections, Arms Act, Prevention of Defacement of Public Property (PDPP) Act and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1908.

The FIR in which Singh was being searched was related to the violence inside Red Fort and the hoisting of a religious flag there.

More than 130 people have been apprehended by Delhi Police in connection with the Republic Day violence so far. "We are enquiring whether accused who were arrested from different parts of the city are connected to any kind of group that was involved in violence," an official said.

When asked about farmer leaders joining the probe, one official said, "Till now they have not told us that they won't join the investigation but on the other hand they are not joining the probe. Many of them told us that they were busy in protests and after completion of the February 6 agitation we are hopeful they may join the probe from next week," the investigator said.

Meanwhile, videos of January 26 violence kept on flowing to the Crime Branch.