Who is former gangster Lakha Sidhana, accused of R-Day violence?

Sidhana has denied charges of instigating protesters and said there is no video or photo of him at the Red Fort area.

Apart from Punjabi singer Deep Sidhu, another name featured in Delhi Police's FIR that has turned heads is of Lakha Sidhana, a gangster-turned-activist, who was present at the Red Fort during the ruckus on Republic Day. Sidhana, also known as Lakhbir Singh, however, has denied the charges of instigating the protesters to climb the Red Fort. He has told news agency PTI that on January 26, he had only marched up to the Outer Ring Road.

The 40-year-old former gangster, a native of Punjab's Bathinda, has been camping at the Singhu border with the farmers since November 26 as an activist. (HT Photo)

Read | Actor, ex-gangster at centre of farmers’ ire

Here's what we know about Lakha Sidhana and his involvement in farmers' protest:

> The 40-year-old former gangster, a native of Punjab's Bathinda, has been camping at the Singhu border with the farmers since November 26 as an activist.

> It has been alleged that a day after the tractor march, which was meant to be peaceful, Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, another accused in the violence, and Sidhana addressed protesters and instigated them to "invade" the Capital. Sidhana has refused the allegation and said he was calming people instead.

> The former gangster has at least 10 criminal cases against him at present, including land grabbing and murder.

> He contested 2012 Punjab assembly elections on a ticket from now-defunct People's Party of Punjab.

> In 2017, Sidhana was in news for defacing English from signboards and demanding them to be written in Punjabi. He was arrested and was sent to Faridkot jail where he was agai booked for doing a Facebook live from his barrack.

> After coming out of jail, Sidhana stirred another controversy as he went to meet Punjab's jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.