Amritsar, 06 August (H.S.): Punjab Police on Thursday said it is initiating legal action under the provisions of the Information Technology Act against social media accounts that allegedly circulated selectively edited videos of a press conference to falsely associate a Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed terror module with the Jantar Mantar protests in New Delhi.

A Punjab Police spokesperson said that certain social media handles uploaded edited versions of the press conference addressed by the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, on August 4, 2026. The videos, including one shared through an Instagram reel, were presented in a manner that sought to create an impression that the terror module had links with the Jantar Mantar protests.

Clarifying the contents of the original press conference, the spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police had stated only that some of the arrested accused had visited Jantar Mantar, conducted reconnaissance of the area and had planned to target the protesters using petrol bombs.

At no point was it stated that the arrested individuals had participated in the protests or that the Jantar Mantar protesters had any connection with the terror module, the spokesperson said.

According to Punjab Police, the circulated videos changed the background visuals, selectively trimmed portions of the original press conference and added captions and descriptions that altered the context of the Commissioner's remarks.

While the audio and factual statements from the press conference were not tampered with or morphed, the selective editing and accompanying visuals were intended to create an inference that was never made during the briefing, the spokesperson said.

The edited presentation has the potential to mislead viewers into drawing conclusions contrary to the actual context of the Commissioner's statement, the spokesperson added.

Punjab Police said the matter is being examined seriously and appropriate legal proceedings are being initiated under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act against those responsible for disseminating the misleading content.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH