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Did Atishi say the word? It's BJP-ruled Delhi vs AAP-ruled Punjab over ‘disrespect to Sikh gurus’ in video clip
On video in which Atishi allegedly disrespected Sikh gurus, Delhi speaker says forensic test shows she indeed said ‘guru’; Punjab officials say she did not
Delhi assembly speaker Vijender Gupta on Saturday said a forensic report has proved the veracity of a video of AAP's Atishi allegedly making remarks “disrespecting” Sikh gurus. The clip is original and without any tampering, said Gupta, a BJP veteran. But the battle over what she said, or did not, continued as Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj rejected the report.
Bharadwaj claimed the test did not answer the key question of whether Leader of Opposition Atishi uttered the word "guru" during the recent Vidhan Sabha proceedings.
"She did not utter the word 'guru', but the report does not mention that. The BJP tried to fan religious discord by using the video, and action should be taken against its leaders," he said, as per news agency PTI.
How row ended up in Punjab
There is indeed action being taken against BJP leaders for allegedly tampering with the video. The FIR has been registered in Jalandhar, Punjab, where the AAP is in power.
The police in AAP-ruled Punjab have claimed that their forensic examination revealed that the video was "doctored". This led to the AAP raising demands that speaker Vijender Gupta take action against BJP minister Kapil Mishra for “breach of privilege” for sharing the “doctored” clip on social media. The Chief Whip of AAP in the Delhi assembly, Sanjiv Jha made the demand.
Reacting to this demand, speaker Vijender Gupta said the clip was indeed sent for forensic examination on January 8. "The report clearly states that the alleged remark by Atishi was found matching frame by frame in the video clip; that it was original and there was no tampering involved," Gupta said.
A court in Jalandhar has, for now, asked for the clip to be removed from social media as the police there said it was “doctored”.
Will matter now go to CBI?
Gupta, though, alleged that the AAP government in Punjab "hastily" conducted its own forensic test and registered an FIR in the matter based on it.
He said he would seek a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter of her utterance as well as into the forensic examination of the video clip by the Punjab government.
The assembly would now decide further action against Atishi, he also said, adding that Atishi should meet him and apologise.
"The assembly also warns the Punjab chief minister (Bhagwant Mann) to refrain from interfering in its affairs and seeking to cover up the matter through political manipulations," Gupta stated.
Where it all began
The issue of alleged disrespect towards Sikh gurus by Atishi in the assembly on January 6 snowballed into an inter-state controversy.
She was speaking during a discussion on the Delhi government's programme held last year to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Atishi reportedly accused the BJP of indulging in petty politics by dragging the name of the ninth Sikh guru. But there were viral clips later that showed she mentioned the word “guru” in an inappropriate context while making her point. She did not attend the sittings of the Delhi assembly after the alleged incident.
Punjab Police then registered an FIR in Jalandhar as it was that the clips were “doctored”. The Delhi assembly has also demanded replies from top police officers from Punjab over alleged breach of privilege.
Kapil Mishra, who shared the clip, asserted that the Delhi FSL report now has established the "sin" committed by Atishi. A bigger sin was committed by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who "misused" the Punjab Police to protect her, Mishra said, as per news agency PTI.
There are, meanwhile, protests in Punjab by opposition parties Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP against the AAP. They say AAP boss Arvind Kejriwal is running Punjab and misusing its police. CM Mann claims the Centre and Delhi's ruling party is “conspiring” against his party and leaders by “doctoring” video clips.
