The rally was held in Bhatinda in memory of late actor Deep Sidhu. It has nothing to do with AAP's victory.
A post on social media claims that Khalistanis or Sikh separatists in Punjab held a rally after the Aam Admi Party (AAP) won the 2022 assembly elections in the state. Several Facebook and Twitter users have shared the post. It carries a video of people holding placards and shouting "Khalistan Zindabad." However, the video is misquoted and wrongly linked to the 2022 Punjab state elections. Through a reverse image search, we found that the rally in the viral video was held in Bhatinda on February 22, 2022, before the results of the assembly elections were announced on March 10. We found the same video posted on YouTube on February 22 with the caption "ANTI-INDIA KHALISTAN SLOGANS IN BATHINDA CITY (PUNJAB)." The video was also shared by a local media organization called NewsJ on Facebook on February 25. The caption read, "Khalistan Slogans Raised During a Rally Held in The Memory of Deep Sidhu." On analyzing the video carefully, we spotted some people were holding placards with late actor Deep Sidhu's images while some held posters were seeking "Justice for Deep Sidhu." Deep Sidhu, a Punjabi actor, and activist, died in a road accident on February 15, 2022. Earlier, he was accused of hoisting a religious flag atop Red Fort on Republic Day in 2021. Therefore, considering the rally had nothing to with AAP's win in Punjab elections and was a pro-Khalistani demonstration organized in the memory of a late actor, we are marking this claim as false.
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