The political firestorm surrounding a viral “sacrilege" video involving Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann has intensified following a dramatic investigation into the fabrication of forensic evidence.
Gurugram police on Tuesday arrested two men following a complaint from a forensic expert. They were identified as Ankit and Arun.
The Tribune has accessed a copy of the FIR registered at the DLF Police Station, which details a sophisticated conspiracy involving criminal charges of cheating and the illicit fabrication of electronic records.
The investigation, which has sent shockwaves through both political and law enforcement circles, centers on allegations that employees of two private facilities, Cipher Sentinel Lab and Cyberyan Labs, were coerced into producing a predetermined “clean chit" report to exonerate the CM.
The breakthrough in the case arrived when an employee, Jaspreet, acted as a whistleblower, approaching the Gurugram police with damning details about the operation.
According to the FIR, Jaspreet said, “I was specifically instructed by Ankit and Arun to generate a report that would definitively rule the video as doctored, regardless of the actual data."
The whistleblower further detailed the duress he faced, noting, “When I raised questions about the authenticity of the process, I was told that the ‘client’ required a specific result for political immunity, and I was threatened that my refusal would result in professional and personal consequences."
Offered Rs 10 lakh to sign off on forged documents: Whistleblower
Jaspreet’s statement to the police also highlighted the scale of the bribery, alleging, “They offered me Rs 10 lakh to sign off on the forged documents. I was told that the arrangement was already ‘cleared at the highest levels,’ and that my signature was merely a formality to grant the document an air of legitimacy."
Sources indicate that the plot involved moving the technicians to a luxury five-star hotel in Sector 29, where the fraudulent report, complete with forged stamps and credentials, was finalised to serve a larger political agenda.
While the suspects have reportedly claimed during preliminary questioning that they were unaware of the severe political implications of their actions, the police have already seized hotel CCTV footage to substantiate these claims.
This development represents a startling U-turn for the local authorities.
Only 24 hours prior, when Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira publicly alleged that police raids were underway regarding the forensic report, the department had officially dismissed the reports and asserted that no such action was being taken.
The sudden transition from denial to a formal criminal investigation has prompted a high-level meeting among the police top brass to determine the next course of action.
As the investigation, now led by ASI Tarun Kumar, widens significantly, officials are scrutinising whether any genuine forensic assessment was ever performed or if the document was entirely hollow.
Furthermore, investigators are working to uncover potential complicity within law enforcement, specifically looking into whether state machinery was exploited to provide legitimacy to a falsified document designed to manipulate public perception. A formal statement from the department regarding the depth of this conspiracy is expected shortly.
