New Delhi: Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Friday expressed concern over the conduct of the Punjab government in a matter related to the honour of Sikh Gurus and condemned the delay in sharing a copy of the FIR or the forensic test report related to an allegedly doctored video of AAP leader Atishi’s controversial remarks.
Calling it a possible conspiracy, Gupta said Atishi’s allegedly disrespectful remarks were made in the Delhi Assembly on January 6, yet a complaint and an FIR related to an allegedly doctored video of her remarks related to Sikh Gurus was registered in Punjab, without the consent of the national capital’s legislature.
Gupta stated that despite the Delhi Assembly’s reminders, the continued withholding of the file related to the matter by the Punjab government raises several serious questions.
“Till date, neither a copy of the FIR has been provided, nor has the complaint been shared, and no official investigation report has been made public. This situation gives rise to suspicion and casts a serious shadow on transparency,” he said.
The Speaker said that the silence and repeated delays witnessed in this matter indicate a deliberate attempt to conceal facts.
“The links of this case appear to extend directly to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, which further adds to the gravity of the issue. In a democracy, accountability is paramount, and no government has the right to evade it,” he said.
Gupta made it unequivocally clear that the Delhi Legislative Assembly will not treat this matter lightly under any circumstances.
“This is not merely an administrative or political issue; it is directly connected to the honour, dignity, and faith associated with the Gurus. Any negligence or insensitivity in such a sensitive matter is completely unacceptable,” he said.
Gupta stated that after the insult to the Gurus, the way false narratives were spread and unnecessary commotion was created by the AAP, which is the ruling party in Punjab, will not be tolerated by the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
“Bringing the truth to light and holding the guilty accountable is our responsibility. The Delhi Legislative Assembly will raise this issue with full determination and will take every necessary step to ensure justice,” said the Speaker, reminding that the Punjab government’s attempt to use the Assembly footage for a forensic test without his permission was “illegal”.
The Speaker said the footage of the Delhi Assembly is the property of the House, and collecting it from an unauthorised source and launching a probe into the Atishi remarks row amounted to a serious lapse.
A Delhi Assembly Secretariat official said the Punjab government, it seems, tried to shield Atishi by claiming that a forensic test conducted on the Delhi Assembly footage downloaded from an unauthorised source concluded that it was doctored and she did not make any controversial remarks.
The Delhi Assembly Speaker had earlier taken the stand that it was improper on the part of the Punjab government to conduct any forensic lab test on any footage related to the House, as he himself had ordered a forensic examination of the Assembly video recording in the national capital.
(IANS)
