Punjab court orders removal of ‘doctored’ Atishi video

Thursday’s ruling from the court in Jalandhar prompted conflicting claims from both parties. The court had ordered the removal of the video from social media platforms after considering a forensic report that found the word “guru” was not present in the audio, a clip originally shared by BJP minister Kapil Mishra.

A political tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) escalated further on Thursday after a Punjab court accepted a forensic report concerning a controversial video of Delhi Opposition Leader Atishi, with both parties trading a fresh round of accusations.

AAP and BJP at loggerheads (HT photo)

Thursday’s ruling from the court in Jalandhar prompted conflicting claims from both parties. The court had ordered the removal of the video from social media platforms after considering a forensic report that found the word “guru” was not present in the audio, a clip originally shared by BJP minister Kapil Mishra.

BJP minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa dismissed the forensic process, alleging misconduct by the Punjab government.

“The so-called forensic investigation conducted without the original video, without an IT expert, and without a voice sample is completely wrong and misleading,” Sirsa stated, accusing the AAP-led Punjab government of politically shielding Atishi.

In response, Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj turned the focus onto BJP ministers.

“The forensic report clearly establishes that the word ‘guru’ was not used in the video at all. The court also observed that the language used by BJP leaders was capable of inciting communal disharmony,” he said, demanding action against them.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva countered, asking the AAP to stop “misrepresenting the court order.”

He argued, “The manner in which the AAP-led Punjab government obtained an order from the Jalandhar court through political manoeuvrings, and is now misinterpreting that order... clearly shows that the AAP leadership is rattled by the political damage caused in Punjab due to the controversial remarks of Atishi.” He reiterated demands for a public apology from Atishi.

Simultaneously, the Delhi Legislative Assemblyhas Thursday initiated privilege proceedings against Atishi for her alleged remarks during the January 6 session. The Assembly Secretariat has served her a complaint for “breach of privilege and contempt,” referring the matter to the Committee of Privileges and directing her to submit a written statement by January 19. The Assembly had earlier sent the video to its own Forensic Science Laboratory for authentication.