Tractor rally violence: Sunny Deol distances himself from Deep Sidhu

Sidhu is a Punjabi film actor-turned-activist who allegedly led a mob of protesting farmers that stormed the Red Fort and hoisted a flag there on Tuesday

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliament member Sunny Deol has again distanced himself from Deep Sidhu, a Punjabi film actor-turned-activist who allegedly led a mob of protesting farmers that stormed the Red Fort and hoisted a flag on Tuesday.

Actor Deep Sidhu. (File photo)

In a tweet, Deol said he was saddened to see what has happened at the Red Fort and added: “Through a tweet, on December 6 [2020], I have already made it clear that I or my family has no link with Deep Sidhu.”

Deol last month said the “issue was between the government and the farming community and that some people were exploiting the situation”. Deol referred to Sidhu saying “he was with me during my campaign but is now being driven by his own agenda. I have nothing to do with his activities.”

Deol’s fresh comments came as a photo purportedly showing Sidhu with him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was posted on social media.

A video from Sidhu’s Facebook account went viral on Tuesday in which he could purportedly be seen along with his supporters at the Red Fort. Many of them held the Nishan Sahib, the flag of the Sikhs. A man could be seen climbing the monument with the flag in his hand.

Sidhu justified the flag hoisting saying when genuine rights and issues are not solved, anger is bound to flare up in any protest. He said they went to the Red Fort to “symbolically register” their protest, and to exercise their “democratic rights”.

The National Investigation Agency last month issued a summon to Sidhu to appear before it in a case registered against Sikhs for Justice.