Main Accused of the Red Fort Violence on Republic Day arrested

The main accused held with his video proof and two swords.

A team of Delhi Special Police Police on Tuesday arrested one of the main suspects in connection with Red Fort court violence on Republic Day. Two swords were also recovered from the suspects. Manner Singh Moni, a 30-year-old AC mechanic, was wanted by Delhi police after his videos and photos surfaced on January 26, in which he was seen wielding swords at Red Fort during a tractor meeting organized by farmers' unions against three farm rules, officials notified on Wednesday.

'Most wanted' in the Red Fort violence case, Maninder Singh was arrested near a bus stop in Pitampura on Tuesday. Following his arrest, Delhi police again found two swords at Maninder Singh's house in Swaroop Nagar in Delhi. During cross-examination, defendant Maninder Singh told Delhi police that he used to arrive at the Singhu border where farmers had been protesting for more than two months. Maninder Singh told police he was motivated by statements made by farmers' leaders at the protest site.

The accused allegedly encouraged five others in his area to join a tractor meeting on January 26 in Delhi. Before joining the tractor meeting on January 26, Maninder Singh said he kept two swords in his hand. Riding their bicycles, the group then accompanied the protesting farmers from the Singhu border to Mukarba Chowk. According to their plan, the suspects along with five others and unknown armed men entered Red Fort where Maninder struck the sword. A video of him wielding swords at Red Fort on January 26 was also found on his cellphone, Delhi police said.

Maninder Singh is attending a sword training school near his home in Swaroop Nagar in Delhi, Delhi police said. The arrest of key suspect Maninder Singh comes just days after Delhi police arrested one Iqbal Singh on charges of Republic Day violence. Iqbal Singh, one of the accused in the case, was arrested from Hoshiarpur in Punjab on February 9. Delhi police were searching for Iqbal Singh for his alleged role in the Red Fort incident on January 26 and had also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information on his whereabouts. Iqbal Singh was accused of inciting a mob near the Lahori Gate to attack Red Fort.

As part of their investigation into the case, the Crime Branch of Delhi last week took actor Deep Sidhu, who is also incarcerated, and Iqbal Singh to Red Fort to re-create events that took place at a historic memorial on Republic Day during a farmer's tractor.