Aam Aadmi Party’s Duality: Cry Media Censorship in Delhi and Suppress Press Freedom in Punjab

THE AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) since its inception has projected itself to be a collective of the commoners, with a zeal to uphold and protect the voices of the common people. In the recent times it has vehemently criticized other political parties, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for restricting and choking the anti-establishment voices across media platforms. However, a closer look at the AAP-led government in Punjab, with its own undeclared media censorship campaign is nothing but the ‘pot calling the kettle black.’ 

According to a report published by The Reporters’ Collective on August 18, 2026, the ruling party in Punjab claimed the copyright ownership of around 48 videos and posts uploaded by journalists on Facebook that questioned the AAP government in the state. A total of four Facebook pages were taken down in just four months between January and April 2026. Another Facebook page was sent a police notice along with five copyright claims, and was ultimately removed from the social media platform. In aggregate, these five pages housed over 30 lakh followers when they were taken down. This is nothing less than a media censorship drive.

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However, there is a novel playbook at the AAP’s disposal. These contents were flagged and restricted for their usage of copyrighted content; a differently curated pathway at censorship which pits intellectual property rights against the practice of critical journalism.

Aam Aadmi Party And Its Media Censorship Playbook in Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party has been at the forefront in criticizing the acts of media censorship by different political parties, particularly that of the Bharatiya Janata Party for a long time. This is a fair and legitimate stance, given the provisions of Article 19, and the essence of democratic debates and dissent enshrined in our constitution. However, the irony strikes hard when the same AAP-led government in Punjab pursues a dedicated censorship drive against independent journalists and other media outlets critical of the government in the state. 

In December 2025, an FIR was registered against the RTI activist Manik Goyal for allegedly using ‘distorted and unverified information’ on social media. He had questioned the usage of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s helicopter while he was away on an official tour in Japan. While speaking to Manik Goyal on this issue he stated that, “There is an application named ‘Flight-radar 24’ which shows all the live-flights. There, I saw Bhagwant Mann Ji’s helicopter, while he was on an official visit to Japan. Therefore, I had asked a very simple question. If Bhagwant Mann Ji is away on official duty outside India, who is using the Chief Minister’s helicopter.” This query received immediate attention on social media, with netizens sharing it in large numbers, followed by an FIR in the Ludhiana’s cybercrime police station against RTI activist Manik Goyal and nine other social media influencers.

On April 11, 2026, a group of independent journalists and activists came together at the Press Club of India, New Delhi, to raise the issues of censorship and silencing of critical voices by the Punjab Government, and announced the formation of an organization called “Press Di Azadi Bahal Karo Sangharsh Committee” (Committee to Restore the Freedom of Press) to counter such repressive acts. Speaking at the Press Club of India, Sahildeep Singh—the founder of a social media platform ‘Duniya’ (meaning world)—raised the issue of rising censorship in Punjab.

However, the AAP’s playbook in Punjab sought to follow a different pathway than the existing press censorship techniques by the State. Sahildeep alleged that the AAP was using copyright claims to remove all the critical content from the social media platforms.  A copyright claim or strike is a legal penalty issued by online platforms to protect the intellectual property right of the content’s owner when used without due permission or attribution. In the press conference, Sahildeep added that “If we use the images of Bhagwant Mann, the Assembly house, or other opposition leaders, the Aam Aadmi Party sends a copyright claim from its Facebook page, resulting in the post being taken down.” 

Similar concerns were also raised by Maninderjeet Sidhu—founder of the YouTube channel Lok Awaz TV—whose Facebook page was taken down in January 2026 following a series of copyright notices sent for using the pictures of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, despite being taken from government media outlets. 

Aam Aadmi Party’s ‘Punjab Paradox’ And the Future of Press Freedom In India

The story of AAP’s censorship drive does not begin in 2026. It travels back to 2022, when the party formed the government in the state. Since then, AAP has faced serious accusations of threatening journalists as well as Right to Information (RTI) activists with legal cases, blocking the circulation of newspapers (such as The Indian Express), suspending social media accounts of independent journalists, as well as ‘targeted witch-hunting’ of the Jalandhar-based Punjab Kesari media group in January 2026.

In January 2026, an FIR was registered at the Ludhiana’s Cybercrime Police Station against RTI activist Manik Goyal and nine others for allegedly using ‘distorted and unverified content’ on social media. Manik Goyal and the other social media influencers had asked a simple question: who was using Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s helicopter while he was on an official visit to Japan? 

In recent times, the situation has snowballed further. The five Facebook accounts that were suspended include the RMB Television, Lok Awaz TV, Maninderjeet Sidhu, Rattandeep Singh Dhaliwal and Parmeet Singh Bidowali. According to the investigative report by The Reporters’ Collective, these pages were inaccessible for months. It was only after The Reporters’ Collective sent a questionnaire to Meta that the restoration process began. Since then, four of these pages have been restored, with Maninderjeet Sidhu’s page still blocked by a legal demand from Punjab Police. Furthermore, The Reporters’ Collective also notes the comments of Baltej Pannu—AAP-Punjab’s media in-charge. In the report, Baltej Pannu states that, “If anyone who does not have a proper degree or qualification, and is indulging in baseless allegations [against AAP], we have to take action.” 

Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada— Former member of AAP who worked as a health advisor to the former health minister Satyendra Jain in the Delhi State Secretariat— reacted to Reporter’s Collective’s report and that Arvind Kejriwal is least tolerant to press freedom. “He (Kejriwal) always accuses others of media censorship but is least tolerant when it comes to freedom of press in his own backyard. Kejriwal - like a vulture - also contributed his share in creating a culture of Godi media that we see today.”  

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The Constitution of India, in Article 19, clearly states that the freedom of free speech and expression of every Indian must be protected in light of the reasonable restrictions on the same. This also aligns with the global convention, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in its Article 19 mentions that ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.’ 

Aam Aadmi Party is under fire for its differential approach to press freedom and censorship in Punjab and the rest of the country and facing opposition from both BJP and Congress, members of the civil society, and independent journalists alike.

(This Article was edited by Ritik Singh)

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