Punjab BJP's Ashwani Sharma attacks AAP govt over Atishi's remark on Sikh guru

Chandigarh, Jan 17 (PTI) Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma on Saturday attacked the AAP government, stating that a forensic examination report of the video of AAP leader Atishi's alleged remarks against Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur has clearly established that the video clip was genuine and was not tampered with.

His remarks came after Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta in Delhi said a forensic report on the veracity of the video related to Leader of Opposition Atishi's alleged remarks disrespecting the Sikh guru has stated that the clip was original and without any tampering.

In a statement, Punjab BJP leader Sharma said that when the state government does not even possess the original video, it has no moral or factual basis to claim that the video is fake.

He questioned how the government can mislead the public on such a sensitive religious issue without any credible evidence.

Levelling serious allegations against the Aam Aadmi Party and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Sharma said that by protecting Atishi, who allegedly used insulting words for the Sikh Guru, Mann and his cabinet ministers are themselves becoming partners in this act of disrespect towards the Gurus.

He said the Delhi Assembly, which had the original video of the incident, conducted a forensic examination unanimously on the demand of the opposition, and the report conclusively proved that the video had not been doctored.

Despite the "truth" coming out, Sharma alleged CM Mann and his cabinet ministers are continuing to defend Atishi, thereby deeply hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community.

By shielding her, AAP leaders are themselves participating in the sin of insulting Guru Sahib, he added.

Sharma further said that AAP is following a double standard on religious issues, which the people of Punjab will never accept.

He demanded that Atishi should publicly apologise for her statement and that the Punjab government should clarify its stand on this matter without any ambiguity.

Earlier, the Jalandhar police had maintained that the contents in the video along with subtitles were 'doctored'. The video clip was earlier examined by the Forensic Science Laboratory, SAS Nagar.

Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Saturday said after the forensic examination of the video was conducted, the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly has stated that the video had not been tampered with.

After these facts came to light, the forensic examination conducted by the Punjab Police automatically came under suspicion, as the Punjab Police had claimed that the video was tampered with, Jakhar said in a post on X.

"The role played by the Punjab government on this issue, which is linked to our sentiments, in order to protect its leader is extremely condemnable," he said.

All these facts clearly show how the Punjab government uses the police to protect its leaders and suppress opponents, Jakhar said.

Meanwhile, Punjab AAP president Aman Arora condemned the opposition leaders for allegedly trying to mislead the public by casting doubts on a forensic conclusion that has already been categorically recorded by a court in the case related to the doctored video.

Arora said the issue has gone far beyond political disagreement and now amounts to a direct challenge to a judicial order.

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

Based on this finding, the court ordered the video to be taken down and blocked across social media platforms.

"Questioning the forensic findings placed before a court is not questioning a political party or a government. It is questioning the conclusion recorded by a court of law," Arora said.

The issue of alleged disrespect towards Sikh Gurus by Atishi in the Assembly on January 6, following a discussion on the Delhi government's programme held last year to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, has snowballed into a major political controversy involving the ruling BJP in Delhi and the AAP-ruled Punjab.

A Jalandhar court on Thursday ordered immediate blocking and removal of a "doctored" video of Delhi AAP leader Atishi, which purportedly showed her making some remarks against ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. PTI CHS NB