FIR filed against woman, husband for false allegations against journalist, councillor

In a development in the case involving earlier allegations of sexual misconduct, Phagwara police have filed an FIR against a local woman and her husband for allegedly framing journalist Amit Ohri and Block BJP President & Councillor Anurag Mankhand with false accusations.

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The new FIR, registered under No 135 dated June 20, 2025, invokes sections 229, 231, 233, 217, 356(2) and 62(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Harshdeep Kaur and her husband Anudeep Singh, both residents of Chotti Baradari Part 1, under the jurisdiction of Police Division No 7, Jalandhar.

The complaint was filed by ASI Darshan Singh of Police Station City Phagwara. According to the FIR, investigations into Harshdeep Kaur’s previous complaint of alleged sexual assault against Ohri and Mankhand revealed that the accusations were not only false but were made with the intent to defame and settle personal scores. Police found that both Harshdeep Kaur and Anudeep Singh had misled investigators by providing fabricated statements and manipulating facts, leading to legal action against them for misuse of legal provisions.

This development follows the cancellation of an earlier FIR (No 31) lodged on February 6, 2025, in which Harshdeep Kaur had accused Anurag Mankhand of molestation and claimed that Amit Ohri had assisted her in being brought to a gas agency office where the alleged incident occurred. The serious nature of the charges prompted a detailed investigation, which was later handed over to a woman police officer from Hoshiarpur, under the supervision of DIG Jalandhar Range, Navin Singla.

The inquiry concluded that no such incident took place. CCTV footage from the gas agency, statements from witnesses and the context of an ongoing domestic dispute between the complainant and her husband contradicted the narrative presented in the original complaint. It was also revealed that the accused had been involved in efforts to mediate a family matter between Harshdeep Kaur and Anudeep Singh in the presence of her parents and a written apology from the husband during those proceedings reportedly triggered the complaint.

The investigation, reviewed and approved at multiple levels—including the SSP Hoshiarpur and DIG Jalandhar Range after consultation with the District Attorney—led to the submission of a cancellation report to the local court. The court accepted the report and formally exonerated both Ohri and Mankhand. In a notable move, the court also directed the Phagwara SP and SHO to initiate appropriate legal proceedings against the complainant for misusing the criminal justice system.

Ohri thanked the Punjab Police for a fair and transparent investigation. BJP Councillor Anurag Mankhand also expressed satisfaction over the outcome, emphasising the importance of ensuring that public representatives are not discredited through baseless allegations.