Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has launched a strong counteroffensive against opposition parties over a controversial viral video, asserting that the political factions are executing a coordinated smear campaign to defame his administration. Speaking in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister dismissed the circulating footage as manipulated, malicious, and entirely misleading, stating that the entire episode was orchestrated by his political adversaries to destabilise the government after failing to confront him on key metrics of governance and public welfare.
ਅਹਿਮ ਮੁੱਦੇ ‘ਤੇ LIVE —— अहम मुद्दे पर LIVE https://t.co/4k1xOa2CCV
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) June 24, 2026
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The escalating controversy has triggered intense friction between the state government and regional socio-religious institutions. The row peaked after the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh authority, declared the Chief Minister “Guru Dokhi” and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi” following assertions that the video depicted sacrilegious conduct and disrespect toward Sikh religious figures. While the ruling Aam Aadmi Party previously highlighted independent forensic analysis reports consisting of 1,191 frames to argue that the physical and facial features of the individual in the clip do not match Mann, the situation took a sharp turn following the arrest of two individuals by the Gurugram Police for allegedly forging the cyber analysis reports. Addressing these developments, Mann claimed that opposition forces are using intimidation tactics against entities involved in validating the footage, while the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal have demanded his immediate resignation, alleging a state-sponsored cover-up.
Defying calls for political boycotts and demonstrations led by Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Chief Minister questioned the moral authority of opposition leaders, asking why similar accountability had not been sought for past historical errors acknowledged before the Akal Takht. Mann stated that such continuous political distractions would not dilute his administration’s focus on delivering critical public services, highlighting ongoing governance projects across Punjab involving healthcare infrastructure, state employment, school upgrades, and rural canal water distribution networks. Reaffirming his mandate, the Chief Minister concluded that he remains accountable only to the final judgment and wisdom of the electorate and the global Sikh community.
