Punjab Police targeting oppn leaders, alleges Sirsa; AAP Delhi chief defends Atishi

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) A war of words broke out between the BJP and AAP on Thursday over the alleged doctored video linked to Delhi Assembly proceedings involving Leader of Opposition Atishi, with Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accusing the Punjab Police of targeting opposition leaders on social media.

The issue relates to the January 6 sitting of the Delhi Assembly, during which a discussion was held to mark 350 years of the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dayala.

The ruling BJP has accused Atishi of using "insensitive words" against Guru Tegh Bahadur and demanded an apology from her. Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra alleged objectionable language was used during the discussion, hurting religious sentiments and undermining the dignity of the House.

AAP has hit back claiming that a Jalandhar court order cleared Atishi of the allegations.

Addressing a press conference here, Sirsa alleged that instead of addressing law and order challenges in Punjab, the state police had scanned Facebook, Instagram and X accounts of opposition leaders. He claimed the exercise was aimed at shielding Atishi.

"What is the Punjab Police doing? They are combing through Facebook, Instagram and X accounts of people like me to find names and URLs. Why is this being done? To protect Atishi," Sirsa said.

He said police documents submitted before a court listed social media URLs of several BJP leaders, including himself, Santosh Singh, Anil Goyal and Satish Upadhyay, but none of them were made parties to the case.

Sirsa further alleged that despite the purported incident having taken place inside the Delhi Assembly, the Punjab government was contesting the matter in court as a "State versus" case to defend Atishi.

He also questioned the forensic examination, claiming an FIR was registered late at night and the forensic report was prepared without examining the original video or collecting Atishi's voice sample.

He alleged that the report cited the use of artificial intelligence tools to declare the video fake but did not specify which portion was allegedly manipulated.

Drawing a comparison with another case in Punjab, Sirsa claimed forensic examination there had been delayed due to the non-availability of an audio sample, while in the present case a report was produced without such requirements being met.

Responding sharply, the Aam Aadmi Party cited a Jalandhar court ruling to counter the allegations. Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the court had accepted that Atishi did not utter the word "Guru" in the video and ordered the removal of what he described as conspiratorial content from all social media platforms.

Bharadwaj alleged that BJP ministers Kapil Mishra and Sirsa had attempted to incite communal tensions and claimed the court had also held that the language used in their speeches was capable of provoking riots. He demanded their immediate removal from ministerial posts.

Explaining the court proceedings, Bharadwaj said the forensic examination report presented before the Jalandhar court concluded, through auditory and spectrographic analysis and metadata examination, that the word "Guru" was not used in the video tweeted by Kapil Mishra.

He alleged that the controversy was being used to spread religious hatred and provoke communal unrest, particularly in Punjab.

Bharadwaj also questioned the "silence" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he should act against ministers accused of inciting tensions.

The AAP leader said the court had directed social media platforms, including X, Meta and Telegram, to remove the video and related content, and ordered that details of those who circulated it be preserved for possible legal action.

AAP has maintained that the video circulating on social media was doctored and said forensic findings supported its stand. There was no immediate response from the Punjab government to Sirsa's allegations. PTI SGV SGV KSS KSS