Gurugram, Jun 23 (PTI) The Haryana Police on Tuesday arrested two men after registering a case on a complaint by a person who alleged that he was approached for procuring a fabricated forensic report of a viral video linked to the controversy involving the Punjab chief minister.
The development comes amid a political storm triggered by an alleged objectionable video over which the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, had issued an edict against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on June 15.
The edict came after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj claimed that the video — purportedly showing a man resembling Mann — was found to be “authentic” by the two forensic laboratories.
Mann has already rejected the video, saying it was “false propaganda” aimed at defaming him. The Punjab AAP had also claimed that forensic tests by two labs showed that the man in the alleged objectionable video was not Bhagwant Mann.
AAP’s Punjab president Aman Arora on Tuesday slammed the Haryana police’s action, saying it is in BJP’s control and “they can do whatever they want, initiate any inquiry they choose and make any allegation they wish”.
“If the BJP is genuinely interested in uncovering the truth, why is it not investigating who created this video, who acted in it, who financed it, and who was responsible for circulating it?” he said, adding the “entire Punjab knows that the person seen in the video was not CM Bhagwant Singh Mann”.
According to the FIR registered in Gurugram, complainant Jaspreet, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, has alleged that he was pressured, threatened and coerced into getting forensic reports related to the video with a predetermined conclusion that the video in question was created and manipulated by artificial intelligence and that the person seen in the video was not the Punjab CM.
In his complaint, Jaspreet, who is associated with digital forensics, cyber investigation and electronic evidence analysis, claimed that after reviewing the material which was provided to him, he told them that the quality, nature and source of the video material were insufficient to provide a reliable forensic opinion.
However, AAP’s Aman Arora said that “had there been any intention to secure a favourable forensic report, it could have been done through any laboratory in Punjab, where law and order is under our government. The fact that this was not done clearly shows that the objective was to obtain an impartial assessment of the video”.
In a statement, the Gurugram Police said it acted swiftly “to expose an alleged conspiracy involving the preparation of fake forensic and cyber analysis reports related to a viral video”.
Based on the preliminary inquiry, technical analysis, digital evidence, financial transactions and other available facts, a criminal case was registered at Police Station DLF Sector-29, Gurugram, it said.
The FIR was registered under various BNS sections, including 111 (2)(a) (relates to organised crimes) and those related to cheating and forgery, along with Section 65 of the Indian Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, which deals with the offence of tampering with computer source documents and Section 66-D (cheating by personation using a computer resource or communication device).
A special investigation team was constituted which “arrested two accused persons involved in the conspiracy on June 23”, it said They were identified as Arun Mehandru (25), a resident of Aggarsain Colony in Haryana’s Sirsa and Ankit (25), a resident of Kharak Gagar in Jind, Haryana.
According to the complaint, he was approached by certain individuals claiming to be senior officers of the Punjab Government.
“The complainant was allegedly asked to arrange a forensic report concerning a viral video in a manner that would support a pre-determined conclusion by denying the identity of the individual appearing in the video and portraying all allegations connected with the video as false”, the statement said without naming anyone.
“The complainant stated that he was introduced to several individuals for this purpose and that reports were allegedly prepared in the names of suspicious or non-genuine cyber and forensic institutions,” the police said.
It has further been alleged that substantial monetary inducements were offered for obtaining such reports and that repeated modifications were sought in the reports to steer them toward a specific desired conclusion, the statement said.
The complaint also alleged that approximately Rs 10 lakh in cash was provided to facilitate the preparation of the reports and that payments were made through various channels to other persons involved in the process.
Upon subsequently verifying the facts, the complainant developed serious doubts regarding the authenticity and credibility of the institutions and reports concerned. When he raised objections, he was allegedly threatened and pressured not to disclose the matter publicly, the police said.
The accused are “being thoroughly interrogated regarding the identities of persons involved in preparing the fake forensic and cyber reports, the authenticity and legal status of the institutions that allegedly issued the reports, and the distribution of funds, financial transactions connected to the conspiracy…,” the police said.
They are being questioned to ascertain the identity of other conspirators and beneficiaries, and any tampering, manipulation, or fabrication of digital evidence.
Electronic devices, documents, and other relevant material evidence are also being subjected to scientific examination as part of the ongoing investigation.
“Gurugram Police is conducting the investigation with utmost seriousness, professionalism, and transparency…. If required, assistance from agencies and technical experts across different states will also be sought,” the police said, adding “no individual will be considered above the law”.
The complainant claimed that he was asked to obtain two separate reports from two different laboratories. “It was even stated that failing to provide such reports would endanger the safety and lives of my family members,” he alleged.
The reports were subsequently obtained from two labs but he had no knowledge of the authenticity, technical competence, accreditation, or government approval of these organisations, he said.
Sharing a copy of the FIR on X, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the former Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, demanded Mann’s resignation and an FIR against him. PTI CORR/CHS/SUN SKL RT RT RT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.