Deep Sidhu's role under scrutiny after tractor rally violence

After videos went viral on social media showing actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu handing over a flag to a man to hoist on the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Republic Day during the farmers' tractor rally, farmer leaders on Wednesday raised doubts over his political affiliation, claiming that "he is a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party".

After the Red Fort incident, Sidhu posted a video on his Facebook page claiming that, "We have only hoisted the Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort while exercising our democratic right to protest."

Responding to Sidhu's video, Bhartiya Kisan Union Rakesh spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said that "Deep Sidhu is not a Sikh, he is a worker of the BJP."

"There is a picture of him with the prime minister. This is a movement of farmers and will remain so. Some people will have to leave this place immediately -- those who broke barricading will never be a part of the movement," he said.

The BKU leader asserted that those who created violence and unfurled flags at Red Fort will have to pay for their deeds. "For the last two months, a conspiracy is going on against a particular community. This is not a movement of Sikhs, but farmers. Our issues remain the same and our protest will continue," he said.

Farmer leader SS Pandher of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said: "Some miscreants joined the protest to defame farmers' movement. We did not plan to unfurl the flags at Red Fort, this was not our program. Deep Sidhu's photo with the prime minister has floated, we had already expressed doubt over him."

BJP MP Sunny Deol whose picture with PM Modi and Sidhu went viral on social media, took to Twitter to clarify that he has "no relation" with the actor turned activist.

"I am very sad to see what happened at Red Fort today, I have already cleared through Facebook on December 6 that I or my family have no relation with Deep Sidhu," he tweeted.

Leaders of farmer unions protesting against the farm laws have said that Sidhu had directed youth to move towards the Red Fort on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, protesters agitating against the new farm laws entered the premises of Red Fort in the national capital and waved flags they were carrying from its ramparts.