The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took its protest to the streets across Punjab on Sunday, calling the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress out for crossing every moral and political red line by circulating a doctored video of former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, an act the AAP said amounted to beadbi (sacrilege) of Guru Sahib.
Hundreds of AAP karyakartas gheraoed the residences of BJP leader Ashwani Sharma, Congress leaders Pargat Singh and Sukhpal Khaira, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Badal, with the party asserting that the opposition’s desperation for power has reached a point where it spares neither religion nor the sanctity of revered Guru Sahibs.
The protests were organised after an FIR was registered in connection with the doctored video case and subsequent forensic investigations revealed deliberate manipulation of content. AAP leaders and workers staged demonstrations at multiple locations across the state, targeting leaders who had shared the edited video.
In Pathankot, AAP workers protested outside the residence of Punjab BJP Working President Ashwani Sharma, while in Jalandhar Cantt, demonstrations were held against Congress leader Pargat Singh. Protests were also organised in Lambi against SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and in Bholath against Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
Taking to X, senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia stated: “Leaders who circulate fake videos for petty political gain and do not hesitate to insult the Guru Sahibs deserve to be behind bars. Public anger is fully justified against those leaders who deliberately edited and distorted the video of Atishi from the Delhi Assembly and forcibly inserted references to the Guru Sahibs to malign her.”
“From Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal in Punjab to Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, from Pargat Singh to BJP leader Ashwani Sharma, all of them amplified that offensive video which insulted the Guru Sahibs and was originally posted by a BJP minister from Delhi. Now that the truth has come out, every one of them who spread lies and disrespected the Guru Sahibs must be sent to jail,” he added.
Addressing the protest in Jalandhar, AAP Minister Mohinder Bhagat strongly criticised the opposition parties, stating that instead of focusing on issues of development and public welfare, they were resorting to spreading falsehoods through doctored videos.
“The opposition has completely failed to corner the Bhagwant Mann government on the basis of work and development. That is why they are stooping to a new low by deliberately circulating edited videos of AAP leader Atishi to mislead the people, without caring about the consequences,” Mohinder Bhagat said.
He added that leaders from the Congress, BJP and SAD, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Pargat Singh, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Ashwani Sharma, had all shared the edited video on social media platforms, exposing a coordinated attempt to spread misinformation.
Condemning the act, AAP leaders said that these parties have a long history of exploiting religion and caste for political gain. “They have not spared religion, caste, or even our revered Gurus in their hunger for power. Once again, they are trying to play the same divisive politics to gain political mileage,” the party said.
The AAP asserted that it will not tolerate any insult to religious sentiments or attempts to mislead the public through fabricated content. The party demanded strict action against those responsible for creating and spreading the doctored videos and reiterated its commitment to politics based on truth, development and respect for all communities.