The Delhi Police has registered a first information report against Aam Aadmi Party leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha and Adil Ahmed Khan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by posting on social media a video skit, which showed men dressed as Santa Claus fainting due to high levels of pollution in the national capital, reported ANI on Thursday.
According to the FIR, the “political skit” showed “individuals dressed as Santa Claus – a revered religious and cultural icon for Christians worldwide – in a derogatory and mocking manner”, reported ANI.
“The videos depict these religious icons ‘fainting’ and ‘collapsing’ on the street to be used as mere props for political messaging,” it added.
The video was posted by Aam Aadmi Party leaders on December 17 and December 18, ahead of Christmas celebrations. It was shot in Delhi’s Connaught Place area and titled: “Santa Claus fainted in Delhi pollution”.
It showed Bharadwaj, the party’s Delhi unit chief, trying to revive the men through cardiopulmonary resuscitation after they fell down upon seeing that the Air Quality Index in the national capital was in the “very poor” category.
Bharadwaj was also heard criticising Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for her inaction in curbing air pollution in the city.
The FIR was registered on the complaint of an advocate, Khushboo George, who alleged that AAP leaders maliciously committed acts intended to outrage religious feelings, reported The Tribune.
Responding to the case, Bharadwaj said that photos of the complainant “are all over social media with Bharatiya Janata Party leaders”. He shared photos of George with the Delhi chief minister and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.
“We shouldn’t give these folks free publicity,” he added.
AQI in Delhi
Delhi’s air quality on Thursday remained in the “poor” category, according to data from the Sameer application at 7.05 pm.
The national capital’s average AQI stood at 241, showed the application, which provides hourly updates from the Central Pollution Control Board.
An index value between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air. Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution, while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”.
As the AQI further improved on Wednesday, the Commission for Air Quality Management revoked Stage 4 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Stage 4 restrictions had come into force on December 13.
The commission, however, said on Wednesday that air quality forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology suggest that in the coming days, the air quality index may increase because of slower winds.
GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region. The commission is a statutory body formed in 2020 to address pollution in the NCR and adjoining areas.
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