AAP used copyright claims to target critical journalists in Punjab, report finds

New Delhi: Ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has allegedly used copyright claims to get Facebook pages of journalists critical of the state government taken down, an investigation by The Reporters’ Collective has found.

According to the report, the AAP, which has repeatedly criticised the Modi-led government at the Centre for allegedly targeting voices critical of it, has itself adopted a similar approach in Punjab, where it is in power.

The report reveals that the Bhagwant Mann led-government in the state has claimed copyright ownership of at least 48 videos and posts uploaded by journalists since October last year.

“Five Facebook pages were taken down between January and April 2026 after copyright or legal notices, with the affected pages having more than 30 lakh followers collectively,” the report reveals.

Four of the five pages were later restored after The Reporters’ Collective approached Meta, which owns Facebook. A Meta spokesperson said the content and accounts had been “removed in error”. The fifth page, run by journalist Maninderjeet Singh Sidhu, remains inaccessible following a legal demand from Punjab Police.

The journalists whose pages, as per the report, were targeted include RMB Television, Lok Awaz TV, Rattandeep Singh Dhaliwal, Parmeet Singh Bidowali and Maninderjeet Singh Sidhu.

“The content AAP flagged as copyright infringement included press releases from a Sikh religious body, an opposition MLA’s photo, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s own social media posts, AI-generated images, a government notification on state board appointments, and photos of the state legislative assembly. Photos of Mann and other AAP leaders accounted for the most copyright strikes. Much of this content was evidently not AAP’s to claim,” the report says.

In several cases, the report found that the material allegedly claimed by AAP was publicly available or appeared to belong to other entities.

AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu defended the party’s actions, saying it was within its rights to file copyright claims if content belonged to AAP. He also questioned whether the affected individuals were journalists, although the report noted that three of them hold journalism degrees and a fourth is pursuing a journalism course.

Digital rights experts described the scale of the copyright claims as unusual. Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist and editor of MediaNama, said he had not come across a political party using copyright strikes as a mechanism for press censorship on such a scale.

The affected journalists challenged the takedowns through appeals to Meta and, in two cases, approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. One petition remains pending, while another was withdrawn after the Punjab government filed its response.

The report also documented separate police action against some journalists over their social media posts. In one case, Punjab Police sought removal of the Facebook page of Sidhu under provisions of the Information Technology Act over videos concerning alleged police action against farmers.

The journalists said the takedowns had affected their operations and finances, with some relying heavily on Facebook revenue. Several have since started new pages, while others have removed or altered content featuring AAP leaders to avoid further copyright claims.

The controversy comes amid wider concerns raised by journalists’ organisations in Punjab over alleged pressure on the media. The Chandigarh Press Club has issued several statements since November last year expressing concern over what it described as attempts to curb press freedom.

AAP has denied wrongdoing and maintained that it is entitled to protect its intellectual property. The party has not responded to the detailed questionnaire sent by The Reporters’ Collective to its senior leaders, according to the report.