A day after a video went viral on the social media platforms showing Punjab Cabinet Minister Sukhjidner Singh Randhawa allegedly making objectionable remarks regarding Sikh Guru, the senior Congress leader on Sunday filed a police complaint at Batala police station.
Randhawa alleged that a “doctored” video was being circulated on the social media and other platforms that showed him making some remark about a Sikh Guru which he never made.
The Congress leader also claimed that a malicious attempt has been made to tarnish his image saying that he was a baptized Sikh and can never even think of showing disrespect to the Gurus.
Randhawa, who is the state’s Jails and Cooperation Minister, filed the complaint with Batala police, personally submitting it to the Batala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Opinderjit Singh Ghuman.
“We have received a complaint from the Minister. We have forwarded it for further investigations to the state Cyber Crime Cell,” said Ghuman.
Randhawa told the media that he will also ask Punjab’s Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta to thoroughly probe and identify the culprits behind the “mischievous act”.
“It is a doctored video. I want the matter to be thoroughly investigated and I will also ask the DGP that the culprits who tampered the video and circulated it are identified and punished,” he said.
“The voice has been edited in the video and some words are being attributed to me which I never spoke,” said the Minister.
He asserted that he didn’t equate Guru Sahib with anybody as was being claimed.
The minister added that it was an old video which was being circulated after tampering the voice. Randhawa said that a person is seen standing next to him in the video who he hasn’t met for the past one-and-a-half years.
At the same time, Randhawa maintained that he would soon file Rs 100 crore defamation case against the television news channel for “running the doctored video with a malafide intent without verifying” the same.
Randhawa, reacting to the controversial video being run on a news channel on Saturday, claimed that this was a deliberate attempt to defame him which has been made by a “traitor of the Sikh Panth”, while declaring that he was ready to undergo any probe in this regard.
“I myself would complain to the Cyber Crime Cell for carrying out a thorough probe into the incident.
I am a baptized Sikh who can't even think of speaking anything against Guru Sahib, leave alone actually committing such a heinous act.
Although I didn't equate Guru Sahib with anybody, but still in case I am found guilty in the probe, I am ready to resign,” he had stated.
Defending himself, Randhawa had maintained the video shown also seems to be old in which the summer clothing can be clearly seen.