Actor Deep Sidhu and gangster-linked activist Lakhna Sidhana played a key role in inciting violence in the national capital during a farmers’ tractor rally, with hundreds of protesters clashing with police to enter Delhi and storm the Red Fort, sources said .
According to sources, Sidhu and Sidhana came to Delhi two days ago and gave provocative speeches to the protesters at the Singhu border. Sidhu, who campaigned for BJP’s Sunny Deol in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and Sidhana, against whom 26 cases have been registered, have been demonstrating with farmers on the Singhu border since November.
Several farmer leaders, including Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Haryana unit chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni, distanced themselves from the stone pelting violence on Central Delhi on Republic Day, alleging that Deep Sidhu instigated the protesters and led them to the Red Fort.
“Deep Sidhu was present in the Red Fort during the violence. We were opposed to him from the beginning. An investigation should be initiated as to how Deep Sidhu arrived at the Red Fort with a microphone.”
Congress Lok Sabha MP Ravneet Singh Bittu also claimed that it was Deep Sidhu who hoisted the flag in the Red Fort. “He (Sidhu) is a member of the banned extremist organization Sikh for Justice (SFJ),” Bittu alleged.
In a video released on social media soon after the Red Fort incident, Sidhu, speaking in Hindi, said that the flag of Nishan Sahib and Kisan Union were hoisted “in the flow of emotions”. He said, “How can Deep Sidhu provoke such a huge crowd. You will not bring me a single video in the Red Fort. All were evicted from within a moment.”
Sources said that Sidhu had political ambitions and wanted to form his own party. Both Sidhu and Sidhana have been very active during the peasant movement. Later a section of the peasants removed him from their opposition. Two farmers went missing after a few days of protests.