Chandigarh, Oct 23 (PTI) Punjab’s ruling AAP party on Thursday lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of indulging in character assassination of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann by allegedly circulating a fake video on social media targeting him.
Addressing reporters in Morinda, Mann 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 on Wednesday issued directions to Facebook and Google to take the video down.
Addressing the media in Chandigarh, AAP MP and spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang condemned the BJP for its attempts to defame the chief minister through the distribution of a fake video allegedly created using artificial intelligence.
“The video was made with the sole intention of defaming our beloved chief minister and conducting character assassination,” he stated.
Kang claimed the video went viral, emphasising that many BJP leaders, including official party bearers and spokespersons, played significant roles in amplifying it.
“A teacher’s son (Bhagwant 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 in the strongest possible terms. If you try to defame our leaders with fake videos, you will not be spared. Our party will take stringent legal action against you,” he warned.
Another AAP leader, Baltej Pannu, echoed the condemnation of the BJP for circulating the fake video targeting Mann, calling it a “desperate and disgraceful attempt at character assassination.” Pannu noted that the Mohali court has ordered the video to be removed from all platforms (Facebook and Google) within 24 hours, and has mandated that it must not appear in search results. He warned of strict legal action against anyone who fails to comply.
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.
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.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
