Is there a Case Against AAP in Punjab Over a ‘Doctored’ Video?

Chandigarh, July 11 (NationPress) On Friday, the Cyber Cell of Chandigarh Police initiated a case against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, following a complaint from the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa. Bajwa claimed that the party and its members disseminated an altered video to discredit him.

The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against unidentified individuals, with the police indicating that the investigation concerns allegations of forgery, defamation, and criminal conspiracy.

Bajwa accused AAP officials of circulating a manipulated video that misrepresented his critique of the state Vigilance Bureau's misconduct towards a female MLA, twisting it into a false endorsement of the detained Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who faces charges related to laundering Rs 540 crore of drug money.

He specifically named Finance Minister Harpal Cheema as one of those who shared the altered video on their Facebook page.

Bajwa stated, "The head of Punjab AAP, Aman Arora, who is also a minister, must be held accountable for a similar post on the official AAP Punjab Facebook page."

Previously, Bajwa lodged a complaint with the Chandigarh Police against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, cabinet ministers Cheema and Arora, along with their associates, accusing them of distributing his doctored video concerning Majithia.

Bajwa mentioned that the original video, uploaded on his official 'X' handle on June 25, criticized the Punjab Vigilance Bureau's alleged misconduct during a raid at the home of MLA Ganieve Kaur, who is Majithia's spouse.

He emphasized, "I pointed out the inappropriateness of their actions, particularly against a female legislator."

However, he alleged that AAP leaders edited the video to eliminate all mentions of Ganieve Kaur, misleadingly portraying him as defending Majithia, who is currently embroiled in legal issues.

"The doctored video was then extensively shared on social media by AAP leaders to tarnish my reputation and mislead the public," Bajwa told the media on Thursday.

In his complaint, filed at the Sector 3 Police Station in Chandigarh on July 7, Bajwa requested the registration of an FIR against Kejriwal, Mann, Cheema, Arora, and their associates for allegedly fabricating videos against him.

In response to the case's registration, Minister Harpal Cheema asserted that they are unperturbed by any FIR.

“The FIR has revealed that Bajwa has ties with the BJP, which is why he has managed to get a false FIR registered in the centrally-governed UT of Chandigarh,” Cheema stated.