Delhi Assembly Flags Privilege Breach Over Atishi FIR
Speaker says Jalandhar Police acted on House property, turns row into Delhi–Punjab face-off
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Jan: The controversy over alleged “insensitive” remarks by Delhi Leader of Opposition Atishi on Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur has escalated into a major Delhi–Punjab political confrontation, with the Delhi Assembly formally flagging a breach of privilege against the Jalandhar Police Commissioner.
The escalation followed the registration of an FIR by the Jalandhar Police over a viral video clip of Atishi circulated on social media. The Aam Aadmi Party has claimed that the clip was doctored to falsely portray derogatory remarks against Sikh Gurus. Taking strong exception, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta asserted that the video in question was recorded inside the House and therefore constitutes the property of the legislature.
Raising the issue in the Assembly, Gupta said the FIR was based on House proceedings and amounted to unwarranted interference with legislative property. “The FIR that has been registered is based on a video which is a recording of the proceedings within the House and is the property of the House. Taking action on this video and registering an FIR against a minister is a serious issue,” he said.
Calling it a direct infringement on the authority of the House, Gupta added that a clear case of breach of privilege was made out against the Police Commissioner of Jalandhar. He stressed that recordings made inside the House belong exclusively to the legislature and cannot be treated like ordinary social media content.
The Speaker said the Assembly would formally examine the matter and consider appropriate action. He also noted that the House had already agreed to send the clip for forensic examination after demands from the Opposition.
Meanwhile, the Jalandhar Police Commissionerate said the FIR was registered following a complaint that a viral video falsely attributed blasphemous remarks to Atishi. According to the police, a forensic report dated January 9, 2026, confirmed that the word “Guru” was not spoken by Atishi in the original audio and that the video was deliberately doctored with false captions to incite religious sentiments.
What began as a political exchange inside the Delhi Assembly has now evolved into a wider constitutional and federal dispute, with the Delhi legislature questioning Punjab Police action and asserting control over its proceedings, setting the stage for a sharper Delhi–Punjab confrontation in the days ahead.
