Are Punjab AAP Ministers Being Booked for Circulating a 'Doctored' Video Against a Congress Leader?

Chandigarh, July 11 (NationPress) The Cyber Cell of Chandigarh Police has initiated a case against Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora following a complaint from the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa. He accused them of disseminating an edited video aimed at defaming him.

They have been charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Congress party has claimed that AAP representatives spread a manipulated video that misrepresented his criticism of the state Vigilance Bureau's misconduct towards a female MLA, transforming it into a false endorsement of the arrested Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who is embroiled in a disproportionate assets case related to drugs.

Bajwa lodged a complaint with Chandigarh Police against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, ministers Cheema and Arora, as well as their associates, accusing them of sharing his altered video concerning Majithia.

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

He remarked, "I underscored the inappropriateness of their conduct, particularly towards a woman legislator."

However, he alleged that AAP leaders edited the video to erase any mention of Ganieve Kaur, misleadingly portraying him as defending Majithia, who faces legal actions.

Bajwa expressed, "The manipulated video was widely shared on social media by AAP leaders to tarnish my reputation and mislead the public," during a media interaction on Thursday.

In his complaint, filed on July 7 at the Sector 3 Police Station in Chandigarh, Bajwa requested the registration of an FIR against Kejriwal, Mann, Cheema, Arora, and those acting on their orders to fabricate videos against him.

He stated, "As the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, I consistently voice my concerns against the injustices and illegalities perpetrated by the AAP government in Punjab. Recently, an FIR was registered against Bikram Singh Majithia by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. His wife, Ganieve Kaur, is a sitting MLA. In blatant violation of the law, Vigilance Bureau officials invaded her home and even entered her bedroom. Such behavior towards a woman was unjustified and against the law," Bajwa detailed in his complaint.

"On June 25, I shared a video on my official X handle at 3:13 PM criticizing the actions of Vigilance Bureau officials against a female MLA, while also pointing out similar misconduct against MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira," he added.