Amid the ongoing controversy over alleged derogatory remarks against Sikh Gurus by former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi Marlena in the Delhi Assembly, an FIR has been lodged in Jalandhar, terming the video in question as “doctored”.
The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate on Friday evening issued a media statement, saying Atishi had not uttered the word “gurus” and an FIR had been registered over the “deliberate doctoring of the video”. The complainant has been identified as Iqbal Singh. A senior police officer said the FIR had been registered against unknown persons in the Cyber Cell.
The release stated, “An FIR was registered for uploading and circulating an edited and doctored video of Atishi, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. Several social media posts carrying a short video clip allegedly showing Atishi making derogatory remarks against Sikh Gurus, accompanied by highly inflammatory captions, were uploaded on various platforms. However, a forensic report indicated that the word ‘gurus’ was not spoken by Atishi and that the video had been deliberately edited to attribute words through captions that she never used.”
The police said the investigation was conducted in a scientific manner. The video clip containing Atishi’s audio was downloaded from the social media account of Delhi minister Kapil Mishra and sent to the Director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Punjab, SAS Nagar, for examination. Mishra had not been made an accused in the case.
Atishi has been embroiled in the controversy over the alleged remarks concerning Guru Tegh Bahadur. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee have filed police complaints against her, claiming her comments hurt the Sikh sentiments.
Soon after the FIR, AAP, in a statement, demanded that the BJP, Akali Dal and the Congress should apologise to the Sikh community for “dragging the revered Gurus into petty politics and hurting religious sentiments of the Sikhs”.
The controversy began after a video surfaced allegedly showing Atishi making disrespectful remarks during a discussion on pollution in the Delhi Assembly. Atishi has denied the allegations, claiming the video was doctored to misrepresent her words.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has already ordered a forensic probe into the video and referred the matter to the Assembly’s Committee of Privileges. The Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee has also approached the Akal Takht seeking action against Atishi. The issue has triggered protests and disruptions in the Delhi Assembly, with BJP MLAs demanding the revocation of her membership.
