Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday firmly denied being the person shown in a controversial viral video, dismissing it as part of a “false propaganda” campaign to defame him and saying the person in the clip does not match his physique or height.
The clarification came a day after the Sikh clergy escalated the matter. On Monday evening, the Akal Takht — the highest temporal and spiritual seat of Sikhs — issued a decree directing the Sikh Panth to shun ties with Mann. The clergy, led by acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, labelled the Chief Minister “guru-dokhi” (Guru betrayer) and “khalsa panth-virodhi” (Anti-Khalsa Panth).
Significantly, the Akal Takht declared the video genuine. The Jathedar said the footage was authentic, citing reports from two forensic laboratories, and asserted that it had not been tampered with and was not AI-generated.
The Background
The controversy dates back to early January, when the Akal Takht summoned Mann to appear before its Secretariat on January 15 over statements he had made about Guru Ki Golak (the donation box) and the viral video. Mann appeared before the Secretariat in Amritsar on January 15, where he was questioned about the clip but maintained that it was fabricated. At the time, he proposed that the video be examined by a forensic laboratory.
What the CM Said
In a video message shared on his X account, Mann issued a detailed rebuttal.
On the video’s authenticity, he said: “I categorically and completely reject the authenticity of that video. The person in the video is not me. The person in the video neither matches my height nor build.”
He expressed surprise at how individuals holding such exalted religious offices were, in his words, engaging in false propaganda at the behest of their “political masters” to defame him. He argued that the present-day officials were political appointees acting on behalf of those who had appointed them.
Mann also alleged that religion was being exploited as a political tool, even as he affirmed his respect for the institution. “I consider Sri Akal Takht Sahib to be supreme and I bow my head before it,” he said.
Reactions
The opposition seized on the edict. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal attacked Mann over the “sacrilege” video, saying he had no right to remain Chief Minister. Earlier, AAP’s Punjab media chief Baltej Pannu had accused the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Badal family of using Sikh institutions for political gain, and rejected all allegations of religious misconduct against the Chief Minister.
The matter remains highly sensitive, with the religious leadership and the state’s political establishment offering directly conflicting accounts of the video’s authenticity.
