Punjab Opposition Files FIR Over Alleged Doctored Video, Walks Out of Assembly

Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday filed a complaint alleging that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and two state ministers circulated a doctored video targeting him. Chandigarh Police’s cyber cell subsequently registered a first-information report naming Mann, Kejriwal, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Power Minister Aman Arora. Cheema told reporters he welcomed the case, insisting the public had already seen the footage in question. The allegations heightened tensions during the special session of the Punjab Assembly in Chandigarh. Soon after proceedings began, Bajwa demanded a Zero-Hour discussion on the 7 July murder of Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma, claiming discrepancies between police statements and the government’s account. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan ruled that Zero Hour was not permitted in a special session, prompting Bajwa and fellow Congress legislators to rush to the Well of the House, trade barbs with Cheema and eventually stage a walkout. Amid the uproar, the Speaker announced the session—originally convened to address two unspecified matters—would be extended by two days on the recommendation of the Business Advisory Committee. The Assembly later passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s decision to deploy Central Industrial Security Force personnel at dams managed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board.