CCTV Footage Reveals Punjab Police Officials at Gurugram Hotel
Gurugram Police have recovered CCTV footage and entry register details showing two Punjab Police officials staying at a hotel in Gurugram, allegedly to coordinate the fabrication of a forensic report related to a controversial video involving Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Officials stated on Thursday that the officers will be formally summoned for questioning, and if concrete evidence emerges, they could face arrest.
Political Storm Over Alleged Video
The case stems from a political controversy triggered by an alleged objectionable video of Mann. On June 15, the Akal Takht issued an edict against Mann after its Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, claimed that two forensic laboratories had authenticated the video, which purportedly shows a man resembling the chief minister. Mann has dismissed the video as false propaganda, and the Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) maintains that forensic tests by two labs concluded the person in the video is not Mann.
Investigation Details
A senior police officer said, "These two officers from Punjab will soon be summoned formally to join the investigation. We want to clarify the purpose of their visit to the hotel and determine whether they have any connection to the accused arrested in the case." The officer added that a decision on naming them as co-accused will depend on their responses and evidence gathered during questioning. "If concrete evidence is found against them, they could be arrested," the officer stated.
The complainant, Jaspreet alias Jassi, a digital forensics expert from Sirsa, Haryana, has been moved to a safe house for further questioning. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed in Gurugram, Jaspreet alleged he was pressured, threatened, and coerced into producing a forensic report with a predetermined conclusion: that the video was created and manipulated using artificial intelligence and that the person seen was not Mann. Jaspreet claimed that after reviewing the material, he informed the authorities that the quality, nature, and source of the video were insufficient to provide a reliable forensic opinion.
Arrests and Custody
Two accused, Arun Mehandru and Ankit, were arrested on June 23 and have been remanded to eight-day police custody by a city court. During their custody, police aim to ascertain which Punjab officials communicated with them and to trace the preparation of the report. A senior investigating officer said, "Police will question the accused about where and how the report was prepared. They will also be asked where they obtained the printouts from, the lab's email ID, the use of stamps, and other relevant information. Efforts will be made to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in the preparation of this report."
