Punjab CM Mann denies being in controversial video, claims mask used
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday reiterated that he is not the person in a controversial video that has sparked political turmoil. Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Mann claimed the individual in the clip was wearing a mask resembling his face.
Mann accused opposition parties—Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and BJP—of colluding to defame him on religious grounds. He stated that a mark on his neck, visible in photographs, was absent on the person in the video.
The Chief Minister identified a Canada-based individual, Jagman Samra, as a “blackmailer” who allegedly brought the mask. Mann played a separate video purportedly showing Samra holding the mask. He alleged the controversial video was filmed in a Canadian hotel room, noting he has not visited Canada since November 2016.
“The person in the video does not match my height or physique,” Mann said, promising to reveal the video’s producer and director soon.
The controversy stems from an alleged objectionable clip that led the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, to issue an edict against Mann on June 15. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj claimed two forensic labs authenticated the video.
Earlier, the Haryana Police arrested two men on June 23 for allegedly procuring a fabricated forensic report related to the video. Opposition parties have demanded Mann’s resignation and called for his social boycott, accusing him of undermining the Akal Takht’s authority. Congress and BJP also sought an FIR under the new anti-sacrilege law.
Mann has consistently denied the allegations, calling them a conspiracy to tarnish his image ahead of upcoming elections.
