Delhi Police on Thursday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against three senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders on charges of hurting the religious sentiments of Christians. AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Sanjeev Jha, and general secretary Adil Ahmed Khan have been named in the FIR.
The case stems from a satirical street skit organised by the AAP leaders in Connaught Place to highlight Delhi’s severe air pollution crisis. Videos of the performance, posted by the leaders on their official social media accounts on December 17 and 18, showed actors dressed as Santa Claus wearing gas masks, participating in a protest, and eventually “fainting” or collapsing due to the toxic air. The skit involved performing CPR on ‘fainted’ Santa Claus to resurrect him.
Santa Claus? Fainted in Delhi Pollution pic.twitter.com/nSUhhww82v
— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) December 18, 2025
The complaint alleges that the portrayal derogatorily mocked Santa Claus, considered as a revered religious and cultural icon for Christians worldwide, by using the figures as “props for political messaging.” As per reports, the complaint was filed by advocate Khushboo George, who urged immediate action ahead of Christmas celebrations to prevent escalation of communal tension.
“Santa Claus is a revered religious and cultural icon for Christians worldwide, representing the legacy of Saint Nicholas and the Christmas festival. The videos allegedly depict mock CPR being performed and ridicule directed at the icon, which, the complaint claims, amounts to a deliberate attempt to insult the Christian faith during the final days of Advent,” the complaint stated.
The FIR was lodged at Connaught Place police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 299 (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings), Section 302 (punishment for such acts), and Section 3(5) (joint criminal liability).
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused that BJP was behind the complaint. He posted on social media platform X stating, ‘An FIR has been filed against Santa Claus’s skit. Thanks to social media and your collective strength, the BJP is quite troubled today. This is the power of social media, that the BJP government is being forced to respond to pollution, and there’s discussion happening on AQI.’
Bharadwaj defended the skit as an effective way to draw public attention to Delhi’s pollution issue, claiming it successfully pressured both the Delhi and central governments. He further described the FIR as part of a broader alleged “intimidation” campaign involving agencies like the ED and CBI, adding that exposing such “propaganda” would “scare them even further.”
