Delhi Police Files FIR Against AAP Leaders Over Controversial Skit

The Delhi Police has filed a first information report against Aam Aadmi Party leaders for allegedly offending religious sentiments through a controversial skit. The video, which depicted men dressed as Santa Claus fainting due to pollution, has sparked outrage and led to a complaint from an advocate. The leaders involved have responded to the allegations, claiming political motivations behind the complaint. Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remains a pressing issue, with the AQI categorized as 'poor'. This article delves into the details of the FIR and the current air quality situation in the capital.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 25, 2025, 20:41 IST

FIR Filed Against AAP Leaders

The Delhi Police has initiated a first information report against leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Sanjeev Jha, and Adil Ahmed Khan. They are accused of offending religious sentiments through a social media video skit that depicted men dressed as Santa Claus collapsing due to the severe pollution levels in the capital.

This video, shared by the AAP leaders on December 17 and 18, was filmed in Connaught Place and titled 'Santa Claus fainted in Delhi pollution'.

In the skit, Bharadwaj, who heads the party's Delhi unit, is seen attempting to perform CPR on the fallen men after they fainted upon realizing that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was categorized as 'very poor'.

During the skit, Bharadwaj also criticized Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for her lack of action regarding air pollution.

The FIR claims that the skit portrayed 'individuals dressed as Santa Claus—a significant religious and cultural figure for Christians— in a disrespectful and mocking manner'.

It further stated that the video depicted these religious figures 'fainting' and 'collapsing' on the streets, reducing them to mere props for political commentary.

The complaint was lodged by advocate Khushboo George, who accused the AAP leaders of deliberately engaging in actions meant to incite religious outrage.

In response, Bharadwaj pointed out that images of the complainant were widely circulated alongside BJP leaders, sharing photos of George with Delhi's Chief Minister and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari. He remarked, 'We shouldn’t give these folks free publicity.'

Current Air Quality in Delhi

AQI in Delhi

As of Thursday, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'poor' category, with the Sameer application reporting an average AQI of 241 at 7:05 PM.

An AQI value ranging from 301 to 400 is classified as 'very poor', while values between 401 and 450 indicate 'severe' pollution, and anything above 450 is categorized as 'severe plus'.

Following an improvement in air quality on Wednesday, the Commission for Air Quality Management lifted Stage 4 restrictions that had been implemented on December 13 under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and the National Capital Region.

However, the commission warned that forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and IIT-Madras suggest that the AQI may worsen in the coming days due to reduced wind speeds.

GRAP consists of a series of escalating anti-pollution measures activated to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches specific thresholds in the Delhi-NCR region. This commission was established in 2020 to tackle pollution issues in the NCR and surrounding areas.