The Ludhiana Police has registered six FIRs concerning the circulation of manipulated and doctored videos of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The videos, which allegedly target the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) community and malign Kejriwal’s image, have sparked outrage and concerns over public peace.
The controversy began a few days ago when a morphed video appeared on Twitter that showed Kejriwal being beaten by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The video apparently originated from an official AAP upload where Kejriwal was seen bowing before Ambedkar and pledging to uphold the Constitution. This original video was distorted to portray a derogatory narrative.
Two FIRs name Delhi-based lawyer Vibhor Anand as an accused, while four others are against unidentified persons. The Ludhiana Police has registered the cases acting on complaints from AAP leaders belonging to the Valmiki community alleging that the morphed videos were deliberately prepared and circulated with an intent to provoke unrest and cause harm to communal sentiments.
An FIR filed at Salem Tabri police station, based on a complaint by AAP leader Vijay Danav, highlights that the morphed video could disrupt public harmony and offend the SC/ST community. Similar complaints led to FIRs at Dugri, Sahnewal, Haibowal, Division Number 5, and Model Town police stations.
Surinder Kalyan, a senior AAP leader and president of the Bhartiya Valmiki Sewa Dal Bhawasad, lodged the complaint for the FIR at Model Town police station. Kalyan’s wife, Usha Rani, recently won the Ludhiana municipal elections on an AAP ticket.
The FIRs mention provisions under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rioting, forgery, and spreading enmity among groups. Sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Information Technology Act have also been invoked. Ludhiana Police Commissioner Kuldeep Singh Chahal confirmed that investigations are underway to trace the source of the morphed video and those responsible for circulating it.