Atishi row: 'Forensic report part of court record, not political opinion,' says AAP

Chandigarh, Jan 17 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday accused the BJP and Congress of misleading the public with their questioning of a forensic report on an allegedly doctored video of party leader Atishi.

AAP Punjab president Aman Arora said the issue was no longer a political debate but a challenge to a judicial order, since the report has already been recorded by a court.

He said the court, after examining reports submitted by the State Forensic Science Laboratory, had clearly recorded that the viral video was doctored and that the alleged derogatory word was not present in the original audio.

Arora said the court had also ordered the video to be taken down and blocked on social media platforms.

"Questioning the forensic findings placed before a court amounts to questioning a court's conclusion, not a political party," he said.

AAP minister Laljit Singh Bhullar said repeating false claims could not change facts.

He said the judicial finding based on forensic evidence was on record and could not be overridden by political interpretations.

Reacting to remarks by Congress leader Pargat Singh, Bhullar said dragging religious sentiments into an issue based on manipulated content was irresponsible.

He said circulating doctored clips for political gain hurt Sikh sentiments.

The Aam Aadmi Party urged Pargat Singh and BJP leader Sunil Jakhar to respect judicial institutions and accept court findings, irrespective of political differences.

A controversy was sparked on January 6, when the BJP accused former Delhi chief minister Atishi of disrespecting Sikh Gurus in the Delhi Assembly.

The alleged remark, the BJP said, was made following a discussion on the government's programme last year, held to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. PTI VSD VN VN