A 29-year-old man, who allegedly climbed one of the tombs of the Red Fort during the violence in Delhi on the Republic Day, has been arrested, police said on Monday.
The latest arrest comes nearly a week after Delhi Police nabbed Maninder Singh, the man allegedly seen swinging swords at Red Fort during the 26 January mayhem.
Jaspreet, arrested by a Crime Branch team on Saturday, has been remanded to two days’ police custody. Both Jaspreet and Maninder are residents of Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar. Maninder runs a sword training school near his home in Swaroop Nagar and works as a car AC mechanic.
According to Delhi Police, Jaspreet climbed up one of the tombs of Red Fort during the 26 January violence. “He is seen in offensive gesture holding steel tensile installed at Red Fort,” police said.
Over 120 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence across Delhi on 26 January, in which thousands of protesters had clashed with the police demanding a repeal of the Centre’s new farm laws. Police said more than 300 police personnel were injured, most of them during clashes at ITO and Red Fort. CRPF personnel also sustained injuries in the clashes and their vehicles too were damaged.
According to the police, Maninder Singh, 30, had “motivated” six people of the neighbourhood, who had accompanied the tractor parade that headed from the Singhu border towards Mukarba Chowk. Jaspreet is one of his associates and was identified from the pictures and videos in which he was purportedly standing behind Maninder, officers said.
Maninder was “radicalised” by seeing “provoking” Facebook posts of various groups, police had said, adding he would frequently visit the Singhu border and was “highly motivated” by speeches made by leaders there.
Earlier, Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who was named an accused in the Republic day violence case, had been arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell. Sidhu had been found instigating the crowd during the tractor rally and violence at Red Fort, said the police.
Delhi Police has also announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to the arrest of another key accused Lakhbir Singh alias Lakha Sidhana.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS