Republic Day violence: Man who swung swords at Red Fort held from Delhi, 2 swords recovered

A team of the Delhi Police's Special Cell on Tuesday arrested a man, identified as Maninder Singh alias Moni, in connection with the violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day.

Maninder Singh alias Moni is one of the main accused in violence that was unleashed in Delhi on Republic Day during a tractor rally organised by farmer unions protesting against the three farm laws, Delhi Police officials said on Wednesday.

Maninder Singh alias Moni, 30, is a resident of Swaroop Nagar in Delhi. 'Most wanted' in Red Fort violence case, Maninder Singh was held near the bus stop in Pitampura. Following his arrest, Delhi Police recovered two swords from Maninder Singh's house in Swaroop Nagar

Videos and photos of Maninder Singh had surfaced from January 26, where he was seen swinging swords at Red Fort in Delhi.

The arrest of the 'most wanted' Maninder Singh comes days after the Delhi Police arrested one Iqbal Singh in connection to the Republic Day violence case. Iqbal Singh, one of the accused in the case, was arrested from Hoshiyarpur in Punjab on February 9.

Delhi Police had been searching for Iqbal Singh over his role in the Red Fort incident on January 26 and had announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for any information on his whereabouts. Iqbal Singh was accused of instigating the crowd near the Lahori Gate to storm the Red Fort.

The Delhi Police's Crime Branch last week took actor-activist Deep Sidhu, who is also under arrest, and Iqbal Singh to Red Fort to recreate the scene of events that unfolded at the historic monument on Republic Day during the farmer's tractor parade.

What happened in Delhi on January 26

On January 26, tens of thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police in New Delhi during a tractor parade. The rally was called by farmer unions to reiterate their stance on the Centre's farm laws.

Many of them driving tractors reached the Red Fort and entered the monument, where a religious flag was also hoisted. Over 500 police personnel were injured. Many were also seen engaging in vandalism at various areas of New Delhi.

In the FIR registered in connection with the Red Fort violence, police alleged two magazines with 20 live cartridges were snatched from two constables by protestors who also damaged vehicles and robbed anti-riot gear.