The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab Thursday accused the BJP of indulging in character assassination of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann by allegedly circulating a fake video on social media targeting him even as the Opposition party questioned the “government’s claims of honesty and morality”. CM Mann, who was in Morinda, too broke his silence on the alleged clip and slammed the BJP, saying, “except a fake (video), what else do they have?”
On Tuesday, the Punjab Police registered a case against Canada-based Jagman Samra for allegedly posting “vulgar” content on social media that could “incite hatred and enmity.” Subsequently, a Mohali court Wednesday issued directions to Facebook and Google to take down the video within 24 hours and warned that failure to comply with the order would invite legal action against the platforms.
Addressing the media in Chandigarh, AAP MP and spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang accused the BJP of trying to defame the CM through the distribution of the video allegedly created using artificial intelligence. “The video was made with the sole intention of defaming our chief minister and conducting character assassination,” he said.
Kang said following court directions, “Facebook, in compliance with legal instructions, deleted Jagman Samra’s account and the fake video”.
The AAP MP claimed that many BJP leaders, including official party bearers and spokespersons, had played significant roles in amplifying the video. “Many of these accounts, some even followed by senior BJP leaders, repeatedly promote such propaganda whenever the party wants to defame or destroy someone’s character. A teacher’s son (Mann) is leading the state effectively. If the BJP cannot finish him politically, it has now resorted to indulging in his character assassination by making his fake video viral on social media. That is BJP’s politics,” he added.
Kang also asserted that while everyone has the right to express their opinions in politics, creating AI-driven fake videos to defame an elected chief minister crosses an unacceptable line. “Punjab’s people will answer this conspiracy in due time. We condemn this plot by the BJP. Our party will take stringent legal action,” he warned.
The BJP hit back while accusing the AAP leaders of making “absurd, irrational, and baseless” statements and added that the ruling party’s “defensive posture” reflected panic within the party.
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“The AAP is in a panic,” said Joshi, adding all that BJP working president Ashwani Sharma did was pose a question on X, which read, “The man who used to hold press conferences over every small issue is now silent on his alleged video? Punjab deserves an answer, Bhagwant Sahib, please clarify”.
Joshi added that the issue went beyond a single clip. “This is not limited to just one video. It raises a major question mark on the government’s claims of honesty and morality. AAP had promised clean politics, but now that serious questions are being raised about its own Chief Minister, the entire team has remained silent for two days,” Joshi said, also targeting AAP leaders Kang and Baltej Pannu. “These two leaders used to point fingers at others on every issue, but now that the matter concerns their own family, their language has changed,” he added.
Joshi also questioned the handling of the FIR filed by the Cyber Cell. “Why wasn’t the Chief Minister’s statement included in the FIR when he was mentioned in the video? Is there pressure on the Cyber Cell, or is the government trying to suppress the matter?” he asked.
Pannu, meanwhile, condemned the BJP for a “desperate and disgraceful attempt at character assassination.” He noted that the Mohali court has ordered the video to be removed from all platforms within 24 hours, and has mandated that it must not appear in search results.
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He added, “The court’s decision is clear: the video is fake, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the Chief Minister’s image. The court has ordered its immediate removal and has also directed Google to ensure that it does not appear in search.”
Additionally, he alleged that the individual responsible for spreading the fake content resides in Canada and already faces multiple allegations of fraud.
The cyber cell of the Punjab police registered a case on Tuesday against Samra in connection with the video. The video was allegedly shared by Samra on his Facebook account.
“The content is vulgar, unlawful, and has the potential to incite hatred, enmity, or ill-will among groups of people. Preliminary examination also suggests that the material in question may be Al-generated, further complicating its potential impact and authenticity,” read the FIR.
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The FIR has been registered under Sections 340(2), (using forged electronic record) 353(1) and (2) statements conducting public mischief), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 336(4) (forgery to harm someone’s reputation) of the BNS and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (transmission of obscene material in electronic form), at the Mohali Cyber Cell.
