Punjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who has been named in connection with violence in Delhi on Republic Day, has reportedly gone missing.
He was last seen amidst the January 26 crowd that reached the iconic Red Fort by violating the planned route of the tractor march and was accused of provoking the protesters for installing a Nishan Sahib, a symbol of Sikh religion, on its ramparts.
In a Facebook live from the Red Fort, Sidhu, who was once known for his proximity with actor and BJP MP Sunny Deol, was heard saying: "We have only hoisted the Nishan Sahib flag on the Red Fort while exercising our democratic right to protest."
He also said the national flag was not removed from the flagpole at the Red Fort and that nobody raised a question over the country's unity and integrity.
In another video, Sidhu was seen fleeing from Red Fort on a bike.
Sidhu, along with gangster-turned-social activist Lakha Sidhana, have been named the main accused in the Delhi violence.
Sidhana is a gangster-turned-politician and was acquitted in several cases before contesting the 2012 assembly polls as a candidate of the People's Party of Punjab, once led by Manpreet Singh Badal, who is currently the Finance Minister in the Congress government in Punjab.
Farmer leaders have, in fact, distanced themselves from both Sidhu and Sidhana and blamed them for inciting violence.
However, Sidhu, blaming the farmer union leaders of taking decisions without consulting the people and defending himself, in his latest video, said: "I am seeing that false propaganda and hatred is being spread against me."
"Thousands of people had reached there (the Red Fort), but no farmer leader was present there. Nobody indulged in violence or damaged any public property. They put up the Nishan Sahib and a farmer flag at the flagpole to register their protest," he said.
"Many people were carrying Nishan Sahib flags, farmer flags and the tricolour. If you say by doing so I have turned traitor, then those who were present there were traitors too," Sidhu added.
On the farmer union leaders calling him an RSS man, Sidhu said only a truthful person would be able to hoist a flag at the Red Fort.
"You're calling me a RSS man, a BJP man. Will an RSS man put the flag atop Red Fort? Think about it. Will a Congressman be able to do so? No. Only a pure and truthful person will do so. By calling one person a traitor, you are referring to the whole crowd," he said.
In the video, he clarified that he hasn't run away anywhere and is at the Singhu border.
Born in 1984 in Punjab's Muktsar district, Sidhu, who has been associated with the agitation against the three contentious farm laws, has studied law.
His first Punjabi movie, "Ramta Jogi", was released in 2015. His second movie, "Jora Das Numbria", in 2018 was hit.
( With inputs from IANS )