New Delhi: Delhi Police special Cell has arrested Maninder Singh, a wanted in the Red Fort violence case, who was seen swinging swords with both hands on January 26 when violence broke out.
Two swords ('khandas') of 4.3 feet size used in swinging at the Red Fort by Singh have also been recovered from his house in Delhi's Swaroop Nagar.
Singh was seen in a video swinging two swords at the same time at the Red Fort rampart on January 26 when the protesters ran over the fort.
The police said, 'he was doing the act with an intent to motivate, radicalise and energise the violent anti-national elements indulging in brutal attack on police persons on duty with swords, 'khandas', iron rods, axes, 'barsaas', 'dandas', etc., and damaging the historical monument on Republic Day.
The accused Maninder Singh alias Moni is a resident of Swaroop Nagar and works as an AC car mechanic.
He was arrested under 41.1 CrPC around 7.45 p.m. on Tuesday near a bus stop in the CD block of Pitampura.
The arrested accused has disclosed that was provoked by Facebook posts of various groups, and used to frequently visit the Singhu Border. He admitted being highly motivated by speeches made by the leaders there.
He also disclosed that he had further motivated six persons in his neighbourhood in the Swaroop Nagar area. All six of them, riding upon bikes, had accompanied tractor rally of farmers heading from the Singhu border towards the Mukarba Chowk on January 26. Before joining the tractor rally, Maninder had kept the two swords with him.
As per their plan, the accused along with his five associates and other unknown armed miscreants entered the Red Fort and Maninder did the sword swinging.
"That sword swinging had motivated violent protesters to cause more mayhem at the Red Fort by indulging in all sorts of violence against the public servants, including policemen on duty there and causing damage to the historical monument of Red Fort," P.S. Kushwah, DCP Special Cell said.
Singh also runs a sword training school in an empty plot near his house.
A video showing him swinging swords at the Red Fort on January 26 has been recovered from his mobile phone. Other photos of his presence at the protest site of Singhu border on various days were also found in his phone.