Red Fort violence: Dutch national from Punjab, Delhi-based man arrested
Both men were nabbed on Tuesday. While Maninderjit was produced in court and remanded to four days in police custody, Khempreet is yet to be produced in court
A Dutch national of Indian origin and a Delhi-based man have been arrested for their alleged role in the violence at Red Fort on Republic Day, taking the total arrests in the case to 14, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.
Twenty-three-year-old Dutch national, Maninderjit Singh, was arrested from IGI Airport as he was allegedly trying to fly out on a fake identify in the face of a lookout circular against him. The other suspect,21-year-old Khempreet Singh, was held from West Delhi’s Khyala on a tip-off, said Monika Bhardwaj, deputy commissioner of police (west).
Both men were nabbed on Tuesday. While Maninderjit was produced in court and remanded to four days in police custody, Khempreet is yet to be produced in court.
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The DCP said that the evidence against Maninderjit is in the form of video footage that shows him in the company of spear-wielding rioters and taking an “active part” in rioting. Khempreet, on the other hand, was caught on video attacking police personnel inside the fort, the officer said.
Bhardwaj said that Maninderjit’s family has its roots in Gurdaspur in Punjab, but his father is a Dutch national. They are settled in Birmingham in UK where Maninderjit works as a labourer in construction field, said the DCP. He had arrived in India in 2019, but stayed on due to the lockdown last year.
The officer said that Maninderjit is allegedly involved in two other criminal cases and was planning to fly to Nepal and from there to UK after being under “pressure” and “anticipating” his arrest.
Khempreet, meanwhile, lives in Swaroop Nagar with his family. The police are gathering details on his work profile. One of his relatives has already been arrested in connection with the same violence in the past, the DCP said.
Farmers have been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against three new farm laws. During their tractor rally on Republic Day this year, many of them allegedly deviated from their route and indulged in rioting.