Actor-turned activist and geostrategic analyst Deep Sidhu was arrested on Tuesday from Zirakpur. The man, who claimed of turning the ‘geopolitics of Southeast Asia’ upside down with the farmers’ protests, had played a pivotal role in laying siege to the iconic Red Fort and was absconding until February 9, the day he was arrested. Until his arrest, the man was being called a traitor to the farmers’ cause, and also an agent of the BJP sent with the sole motive of destabilising and defaming the agitation. After his arrest, however, the protestors have intriguingly begun asking for his immediate release.
At Singhu border – the epicentre of the ongoing farmers’ protests, a solidarity march was conducted from Haryana onwards on Thursday, with demonstrators making their unwavering support for Sidhu known. According to a report by Jagran, this solidarity march consisted largely of youth and women protestors. Apart from Deep Sidhu, the protestors also held posters of gangster-turned-activist Lakha Sidhana. The demonstrators demanded an immediate release of Deep Sidhu.
From Amritsar’s Baba Bakala region, another delegation of protestors met with Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leaders and called on them to ensure the release of Deep Sidhu as soon as possible. Following the same, KMSC head Satnam Singh Pannu called on all individuals arrested in the Red Fort case to be released. Interestingly, Pannu and Sarwan Singh Pandher had called Deep Sidhu a ‘traitor’ and snapped all ties with the man.
For almost two weeks now, the protestors and their leaders have been alleging that the entire siege of Red Fort by ‘farmers’ was a conspiracy of the Modi government to defame and derail their agitation. For the same people to now turn around from calling the man a traitor to accusing the government of having him arrested for no fault of his is quite telling about how the January 26 violence has left the agitation exposed.
Read more: ‘I will expose all of you,’ Deep Sidhu warns the 26 Jan riot leaders after being dumped by them
Deep Sidhu was made the sacrificial lamb by the farmers’ union leaders, following which he had threatened to tell the Delhi Police all that he knew about the reality of the protests. “If I start exposing the farmers’ leaders, they will not be able to escape from Delhi,” the Punjabi actor cum geostrategic expert had remarked.
In all likelihood, the man has begun singing like a canary before the police, which is why the protestors and union leaders are not only calling for his release but also carrying out solidarity marches for Sidhu.