Ludhiana social media influencer booked for spreading ‘false’ info against AAP MLA

Accused denies allegations, stating that he was unaware of which specific content had led to the registration of the case; he claimed that the police had not sought his version yet

Police have registered a case against a social media influencer on charges of spreading false information and uploading a video of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator without permission. The FIR was registered at the Sahnewal police station on the complaint of Vishal, a supporter of the AAP MLA from Ludhiana South constituency Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina.

Section 67 (publishing or transmitting “obscene” material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and Section 353 (publication or circulation of false information, rumours, or reports that cause public mischief, fear, or incite communal hatred) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been slapped.

The complainant alleged that Mandeep Singh Duggal uploaded a video of MLA Chhina on his Facebook page without her consent and made baseless allegations against her, thereby attempting to tarnish her public reputation.

Officials said several satirical and critical posts shared by the influencer had drawn objections from the ruling party. These posts reportedly targeted the AAP government and its leaders and were termed misleading and defamatory by the complainant.

MLA Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina said the accused had been repeatedly making personal remarks against her on social media and had also targeted chief minister Bhagwant Mann in the past. She claimed that details of the influencer’s social media activity had been provided to senior police officials and that the case was registered after a three-month-long examination of the matter.

Meanwhile, the accused denied the allegations, stating that he was unaware of which specific content had led to the registration of the case. He claimed that the police had not sought his version and that he had not received any formal notice or call from the police station. He added that he learnt about the FIR only through media reports and maintained that he had never intentionally tried to defame anyone or post content by naming individuals.

Sahnewal SHO, Inspector Amritpal Singh, said Section 67 (publishing or transmitting “obscene” material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and Section 353 (publication or circulation of false information, rumours, or reports that cause public mischief, fear, or incite communal hatred) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been slapped. The police will take appropriate action after the investigation.

On December 12, 2025, the Ludhiana cyber crime police station had registered an FIR against several individuals and a digital media platform for allegedly circulating “objectionable and misleading” content on social media related to the use of a helicopter associated with the Punjab chief minister.