Punjab AAP ministers booked for circuiting 'doctored' video against Congress leader

Chandigarh, July 11 (IANS) Chandigarh Police's Cyber Cell on Friday registered a case against Punjab Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora on the complaint of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, who alleged that they circulated an edited clip to "defame" him.

They were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Congress alleged that AAP functionaries circulated a doctored video that twisted his criticism of the state Vigilance Bureau's misconduct against a woman MLA into false support for arrested Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who is facing charges in a disproportionate assets case linked to drugs.

Bajwa had filed a complaint with the Chandigarh Police against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, cabinet ministers Cheema and Arora and their associates, accusing them of circulating his doctored video related to Majithia.

Bajwa said the original video, posted on his official X handle on June 25, criticised the Punjab Vigilance Bureau's alleged misconduct during a raid at the residence of MLA Ganieve Kaur, wife of Majithia.

"I highlighted the inappropriateness of their conduct, especially against a woman legislator," he said.

However, he alleged that the AAP leaders edited the video to remove all references to Ganieve Kaur and falsely made it seem like he was defending Shiromani Akali Dal leader Majithia, facing legal proceedings.

"The doctored video was then widely circulated on social media by AAP leaders to malign my image and mislead the public," Bajwa told the media on Thursday.

In the complaint, filed at the Sector 3 Police Station in Chandigarh on July 7, Bajwa had sought registration of an FIR against Kejriwal, Mann, Cheema and Arora and the team of people acting on their behest in fabricating videos against him.

"I am the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and hence, keep raising my voice against the atrocities and illegalities being committed by the AAP government of Punjab. Recently, an FIR was registered against Bikram Singh Majithia by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. His wife, Ganieve Kaur, is a Member of the Legislative Assembly. In utter violation of the law, the officials of the Vigilance Bureau entered her house and even went up to her bedroom. Such conduct against a woman was uncalled for and also contrary to law," said Bajwa in his complaint.

"On June 25, I posted a video on my official X handle at 3.13 pm wherein I criticised the action of Vigilance Bureau officials against a woman MLA and also highlighted a similar misconduct by them against MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira," he added.

--IANS

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