Red Fort violence: 23-year-old arrested from Amritsar, sent to 3-day police custody
New Delhi, Jun 28: A man wanted in the Red Fort flag hoisting case was arrested from Punjab and remanded in the custody of Delhi Police for three days by a court here on Monday.
Gurjot Singh, 23, who was evading arrest for five months, was arrested on Sunday near Gurudwara Shri Toot Sahib in Amritsar by the Special Cell of Delhi Police following a tip-off. A reward of Rs one lakh had been declared for his arrest, police said.
He was later produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Anurag Thakur who remanded him in police custody for three days and also allowed his counsel to meet him every day for half an hour.
According to the police, Gurjot was an associate of Gurjant Singh who had allegedly hoisted a Sikh religious flag on the dome of Red Fort during the January 26 violence.
Protesting farmers had on that day clashed with police during a tractor rally against the three new central farm laws and stormed the Red Fort, hoisting religious flags on its domes and injuring scores of policemen.
The court had recently taken cognisance of the charge sheet in the case and summoned all the accused on June 29.
Actor-activist Deep Sidhu, who is accused of being the key conspirator of the violence, is currently out on bail.
"After the incident, Gurjot Singh spoke to the media where he disclosed his role in the incident of flag hoisting at the historic monument. On that basis, he was wanted in the case and a reward of Rs one lakh was announced on his arrest," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.
Singh used to watch provocative videos of Lakkha Sidhana and Deep Sidhu on YouTube regarding Kisan Andolan, the police said after his questioning.
In December 2020, he came to the Singhu border twice to participate in the protest against the new agri laws enacted by the Centre.
On the appeal of Sarwan Singh Pandher and Satnam Singh Pannu, Kisan Majdoor Sangharsh Committee leaders, he along with his village friends and relatives decided to participate in the tractor parade, the police said.
They reached the Singhu border on January 21. On January 26, at around 8 AM, the parade started from the Singhu border.
The parade was stopped near Mukarba Chowk by-pass by police barricades, but all the barricades were removed by the Nihangs and after that, all the tractors crossed the Karnal by-pass, they said.
They reached about half kilometers away from the Red Fort and then walked towards the monument. The Red Fort gate was forcibly opened by Nihangs and a mob entered the premises. Gurjot Singh was standing in front of Red Fort, where Gurjant Singh and others met him, police said.
"After that, Gurjant went inside Red Fort and came out after hoisting Nishan Sahib flag on the dome of Red Fort. When Gurjant came outside, media persons started interviewing him and Gurjant told them that he had hoisted the Nishan Sahib flag," the police said.
Thereafter, he along with another person, identified as Jajveer, came to the Singhu border where he received a phone call from his home that their video was being aired by news channels and police were searching him.
Later, he switched off his mobile phone and the next day, he reached his village. He was evading his arrest since then, police said.
Further investigation is on and efforts are being made to apprehend other absconding accused connected with this incident, the police said.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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