Case Against Punjab Ministers Over Doctored Video Targeting Congress Leader

An FIR has been registered against two senior Punjab ministers -- Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora -- as well as social media handlers associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in connection with a doctored video of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa.

The FIR, filed under Sections 336(4), 356, and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, follows a complaint lodged by Mr Bajwa at the Sector 3 Police Station in Chandigarh. In his statement, Mr Bajwa accused the AAP leaders of manipulating a video of him to misrepresent his views and malign his reputation.

According to Mr Bajwa, the video in question was originally posted by him on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on June 25 at 3:13 PM. The video, lasting 3 minutes and 48 seconds, featured Mr Bajwa criticising the Punjab Vigilance Bureau for what he described as an unlawful raid on the residence of MLA Genieve Kaur, the wife of senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

Mr Bajwa alleged that officials from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau entered Ms Kaur's residence without due legal process and even accessed her private quarters. He cited the incident as an example of the state machinery being used to intimidate political opponents, citing the previous arrest of Congress leader Sukhpal Singh.

Mr Bajwa claimed that AAP ministers Harpal Cheema and Aman Arora, along with their unnamed associates, edited the video to remove references to Genieve Kaur. The edited version, he claimed, falsely portrayed him as defending Mr Majithia, who is currently facing a criminal case filed by the Vigilance Bureau.

In his complaint, Mr Bajwa claimed that the doctored clip was deliberately circulated on social media platforms by AAP's digital team to imply that he supported Mr Majithia.

He further called for criminal action against both Mr Cheema, who serves as the state's Finance Minister, and Mr Arora, who holds the portfolios of Housing and Urban Development, for allegedly orchestrating the misinformation campaign.