Punjab Police book Delhi minister Kapil Mishra over alleged doctored video of Atishi

The Punjab Police on Friday registered an FIR against Delhi minister Kapil Mishra for allegedly uploading and circulating a doctored video that purported to show Delhi Assembly Leader of the Opposition and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi insulting Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.

The Jalandhar Police took the action following a complaint by a man identified as Iqbal Singh.

The video clip, which sparked a major political controversy in both Punjab and Delhi, began circulating on social media on January 6. The footage was reportedly from a session of the Delhi Assembly held to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. In the clip, Atishi was allegedly heard using “crude and foul language” in reference to the Sikh guru.

A day after the clip surfaced, BJP leader and Delhi government labour minister Kapil Mishra shared the video on his X account, accusing Atishi of making “vulgar and shameful” remarks during the Assembly proceedings. In his post, Mishra questioned whether such a person had the right to remain in what he described as a “sacred house”.

As the row escalated, the AAP government in Punjab maintained that the video had been doctored and selectively edited. It said Atishi did not use the word ‘guru’ in her speech and alleged that words had been deliberately inserted to damage her reputation and that of the party.

Following the registration of the FIR, a spokesperson for the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate said the investigation was being conducted “in a scientific manner”. The video was downloaded from Mishra’s X account and sent to a forensic laboratory for examination, the spokesperson added.

The FIR has further deepened the political confrontation between the AAP and the BJP. In a statement, the BJP alleged that the case against Mishra, a minister in the Delhi government and a vocal critic of former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, had been registered at the behest of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The party claimed the move was aimed at undermining an inquiry being conducted by the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly into the video. Mishra also said in a post on X that he was not afraid of police action.

Several Congress leaders, meanwhile, criticised the FIR, describing it as an attempt to stifle the voice of the opposition.