Deep Sidhu: Indian actor at centre of Delhi Republic Day riots arrested after two-week manhunt

Sidhu had gone into hiding after the Red Fort violence and was constantly changing his location, according to police

Deep Sindhu, an actor from the Indian state of Punjab, courted controversy after he was seen with the mob hoisting the religious flag in Red Fort monument, where clashes between farmers and police took place. (Deep Sidhu/ Facebook)

An Indian actor has been arrested after he was accused of leading a group of protesters who stormed Delhi’s iconic Red Fort on 26 January, clashing with police on the fringes of a peaceful rally by farmers agitating against agricultural reforms.

Police launched a manhunt after Deep Sidhu, 36, was named among a splinter group of protesters who broke away from the Republic Day tractor march in the capital, veering off a route agreed with police and heading towards the centre of the city where an official event marking the national holiday was taking place.

The protesters overran police barricades and engaged in running clashes with the security forces, leading to the death of one farmer and injuries to hundreds on both sides. 

After breaking through police lines, protesters hoisted a Sikh religious flag on an empty flagpole at the Red Fort, sparking anger among some who accused them of disrespecting the national symbol. The main farmer unions behind the peaceful, months-long national protests condemned the provocative gesture as well as the violence. 

According to NDTV, Sidhu was arrested from Haryana's Karnal, which is about 100 km from Delhi.

Police had announced a Rs 100,000 (£1,000) reward for information about Sidhu and three others wanted in relation to the protests, and said the actor and activist from Punjab state kept changing his location to avoid being caught. 

Soon after the 26 January clashes, the collective of farmers’ unions that has been organising the protests outside the borders of Delhi distanced itself from Sidhu, who they accused of hijacking their cause of getting the Indian government to repeal three new farm laws they claim will expose themselves to market forces.

Sidhu, who was labelled a “traitor” by the unions, was last seen leaving on a motorbike from the Red Fort after unfurling the Sikh religious flag atop it. While in hiding, he posted videos defending himself on his Facebook page with the help of a California-based friend. 

Sidhu is accused by the police of breaking barriers at Mukarba Chowk in Delhi, along with a man local media described as a gangster-turned-activist called Lakha Sidhana, and moving towards the Red Fort, the Tribune newspaper reported. More than 44 criminal cases have been registered and 127 persons arrested in connection with the violence.

Sidhu has been also accused by farmers' union leaders of sympathising with the "Khalistan" movement, effectively banned in India, which campaigns for the creation of an independent Sikh state. 

Speaking on Monday, India's prime minister Narendra Modi urged farmers to end their protest against his government's agricultural reforms, assuring them that a minimum support price (MSP) that they receive for their produce will "remain in the future.”