Jalandhar, Jan 9: The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate has registered an FIR after a forensic examination found that a video clip purportedly showing Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena making derogatory remarks about Sikh Gurus was “doctored”.
In a media statement issued on Friday evening, the police said the forensic report confirmed that Atishi did not utter the word “gurus” in the clip circulated on social media. “An FIR has been registered for uploading and circulating an edited and doctored video of Atishi,” the statement said.
The complaint was filed by Iqbal Singh, and the case has been registered against unknown persons in the Cyber Cell. A senior police officer said the investigation was conducted using scientific methods.
According to the police, the original video 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. “The 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 statement added. Mishra has not been named as an accused.
The controversy erupted after a short video clip surfaced online during a Delhi Assembly discussion on pollution, allegedly showing Atishi making disrespectful remarks about Sikh Gurus. Atishi denied the charge, maintaining that the clip was manipulated to misrepresent her statement.
Political reactions followed swiftly. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee filed police complaints, alleging that Atishi’s remarks hurt Sikh sentiments, particularly in reference to Guru Tegh Bahadur.
After the FIR was lodged, AAP demanded an apology from the BJP, Akali Dal and the Congress. “These parties dragged revered Sikh Gurus into petty politics and hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs,” the party said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has ordered a separate forensic probe and referred the matter to the Assembly’s Committee of Privileges. The Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee has also approached the Akal Takht seeking action in the matter.
