Chandigarh: Congress MP from Gurdaspur Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday sought registration of an FIR, alleging that an AICC letterhead was forged to falsely announce his appointment as Punjab Congress chief.In a complaint to Punjab director general of police (DGP), Randhawa alleged that the fake letter was circulated as a digital image on social media and WhatsApp groups on Sunday.He called it “completely fake and unauthorised”, saying it appeared to have been maliciously created with the intention of “misleading the public and creating unnecessary political controversy”.Randhawa also posted the purported document on X, describing it as “fake news”. “No such letter has been issued by the Congress party. A complaint regarding the preparation of fake/false letters will also be filed with the Punjab DGP,” he wrote.The document carried a watermark that turned out to be the name of a journalist. Responding to Randhawa’s post, the journalist said on X that someone had conspired to prepare a fake and edited AICC order and had falsely used his name. He added that he was also filing a cybercrime complaint.In his complaint, Randhawa said the incident was not isolated and referred to an earlier complaint he had filed regarding fake news falsely reporting his death.He alleged that the recurrence of such misinformation suggested the involvement of the same elements or a coordinated group. “The failure to identify and prosecute those responsible for the earlier fake-news campaign appears to have emboldened anti-social elements, resulting in the present circulation of a forged political document,” he stated.Randhawa said forged political communications issued in the name of a national party could mislead workers, create public confusion and undermine confidence in democratic institutions.He maintained that the matter involved offences relating to forgery, fabrication of documents, cheating, impersonation, criminal conspiracy and dissemination of false information under relevant laws.He demanded a detailed cyber investigation and action against all social media accounts and individuals responsible for amplifying the fake letter. He also sought a status report on his earlier complaint, saying repeated targeting of a sitting MP through fabricated documents and false propaganda was an attack on democratic processes.
