Delhi Police have opened a formal case following a complaint lodged by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee against Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party legislators over an incident at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. The complaint alleged that video clips and social media content described as inaccurate were circulated in the wake of the incident. Authorities confirmed that investigators are reviewing the video material submitted alongside the complaint as part of their ongoing inquiry.
The episode followed a statement issued by AAP on Sunday in which the party raised objections over what it described as the presence of Delhi Police officers inside Gurudwara Bangla Sahib during a gathering held the previous day, 10 October. The party urged officials to account for what it characterised as an unauthorised entry into the Sikh place of worship and demanded that those at fault face consequences.
AAP called for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to step down, put forward a demand for the release of individuals taken into custody at Saturday's protest, and urged that action be taken against police officers accused of breaching the gurdwara's maryada.
Dhaliwal, who serves as AAP MLA and chief spokesperson, stated that the episode had offended the sentiments of the Sikh community. In remarks attributed to him, comparisons were drawn between Operation Bluestar and the events of 1984, with the Sikh community described as carrying an enduring recollection of that period. Dhaliwal also raised what he characterised as a double standard within the BJP, drawing attention to the party's history of criticising Congress over the 1984 anti-Sikh violence while, by his account, not applying the same measure of scrutiny to its own conduct. He directed a demand at Amit Shah to take ownership of the police action and step down from his position, and called on the Akal Takht jathedar and various Sikh bodies to intervene in the matter.
Baljinder Kaur, a legislator with AAP, characterised 10 October as a day of grave concern and put forward the claim that arrests were carried out without adequate grounds for selection. Her account included the assertion that public transport networks — metro lines and buses — along with road traffic had been deliberately interfered with to prevent protesters from reaching their intended location.
Kaur raised the matter of footage that allegedly captured uniformed police officers entering Gurudwara Bangla Sahib without removing their shoes or covering their heads, and also appearing to compel individuals to leave the gurdwara's sarai, a facility that provides lodging to visitors. She directed questions at Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal and SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, noting the public silence maintained by both men and asking what steps, if any, they had taken, positioning the challenge as part of a wider expectation that Sikh religious figures should hold those wielding power to account.
Manvinder Singh Giaspura, a legislator from AAP, described the reported behaviour of police personnel within the shrine's premises as something that could not be condoned. During his address, he drew attention to Guru Harkrishan Sahib's historical ties to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, rooted in the Guru's outreach to the sick and destitute during a 1664 epidemic.
Investigators continue to work the case, with the video material submitted as part of the complaint now forming part of their review.