Punjab Finance Minister Denies Bhagwant Mann in Sacrilege Video

Punjab finance minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday asserted that the individual seen in the alleged sacrilege video, which prompted the Akal Takht to issue an edict against Bhagwant Mann, was not the Punjab chief minister.

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Cheema cited reports from two forensic laboratories that, according to him, found that the person appearing in the video was someone other than Mann.

"In these two lab reports, 1,191 different angles have been taken that show facial recognition, (Mann's) height, body posture, how he walks, how he stands, all these postures. With 1,191 angles, a thorough analysis was undertaken," the minister told reporters, PTI reported.

"It shows that the fake video does not match Bhagwant Mann. The video was made using an actor to defame the chief minister," he added.

Cheema further said that the two forensic laboratories were independent institutions located outside Punjab and recognised by the Government of India.

He accused the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of targeting Mann and alleged that the party had been attempting to defame the chief minister since discussions began on introducing an anti-sacrilege law.

The finance minister's remarks came days after the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of Sikhism, described Mann as "Guru Dokhi" (anti-Guru) and "Khalsa Panth Virodhi" (anti-Khalsa Panth) over a clip that purportedly showed a man resembling the chief minister.

In January, the Akal Takht had summoned Mann over allegations that he made remarks about "Guru ki Golak" (gurdwara donation box) and engaged in "objectionable activities" involving images of the Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in a purported video clip.

Mann has repeatedly dismissed the video as "false propaganda" intended to tarnish his image.

The controversy has surfaced less than a year before Punjab heads to the polls in February 2027. The AAP will be aiming to retain power and secure a second consecutive term.