In late-night drama, man caught at Singhu claims he was part of plot to assassinate four union leaders

New Delhi: Protesting farmer leaders late on Friday night, in an emergency press conference, produced a youth, who claimed that he was part of a plot to assassinate four farmer union leaders and that a conspiracy had been hatched to create disturbance during their proposed tractor rally on January 26.

The youth, with his face covered in a handkerchief, said that his accomplices were allegedly asked to pose as policemen and baton charge the crowd during the proposed tractor rally.

The farmer leaders claimed that they had caught the man from the protest site at the Singhu border. He was later handed over to the Haryana Police.

Farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu alleged that attempts are being made to disrupt the ongoing agitation against the three farm laws.

The man claimed at the press conference that a plan has been hatched to shoot four farmer leaders, who are known faces in the media, at the stage on January 23.

"On January 26, there was a plan to create disturbance during the tractor rally by opening fire on Delhi Police personnel, which would prompt them to retaliate on the protesting farmers in a strong manner," the man alleged at the press conference.

Speaking of the alleged plot to kill the farmer leaders, the man claimed there were 10 members in "the team", including two girls, who were asked to infiltrate the protests and incite violence so that it would be easy to brand the protesting farmers as wanting to incite violence.

The youth went on to claim that a "policeman" had trained him. When prodded about who trained them, he first faltered with a name, then said the man had his face covered and then went on to say that he remembered seeing a badge.

He went on to say that he had participated in the violence during the Jatt agitation in 2016 and that he had also "lathicharged" people at a recent protest in Karnal.

One of the farmer leaders at the press conference said, "Weapons were to be brought in for this group. On January 26, they had to open fire on the police so that the cops think the farmers are firing on the police. They also had a plan to get the national flag down to hurt the national sentiments (during the tractor parade) and incite people. The youth has identified photos of four farmer leaders who were to be targeted by them in some manner. This operation was to be executed anytime after January 23."

With PTI inputs