Opposition parties in Punjab, including the BJP and the Congress, have demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after the Haryana Police registered an FIR in connection with an alleged forged forensic report linked to a controversial viral video.
The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by Jaspreet, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, who alleged that he was pressured, threatened and coerced into producing a forensic report related to the video. Two persons have been arrested in the case so far.
The controversy erupted after a viral video on social media purportedly showed Mann sprinkling alcohol on images of Sikh gurus. The video sparked outrage among Sikh groups, prompting the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of Sikhs, to issue an edict against the chief minister on June 15.
Mann has consistently denied the authenticity of the video, describing it as "false propaganda" aimed at defaming him. The Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had also claimed that forensic examinations conducted by two laboratories concluded that the person seen in the video was not the chief minister.
In a video message issued on June 19, Mann said the individual in the footage was an actor who resembled him. He also stated that the Director General of Police (DGP) had been directed to identify and arrest those responsible for circulating the alleged fake video.
However, the controversy took a fresh turn on Tuesday when Gurugram Police arrested two individuals accused of fabricating a forensic and cyber analysis report linked to the viral clip. According to police, the arrests exposed a conspiracy to manipulate digital evidence by producing a forged report intended to influence public perception.
The complainant alleged that he was offered ₹10 lakh to align the report with a predetermined narrative.
Demanding Mann's resignation, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said it was "extremely sad and shameful" that the government had allegedly stooped to purchasing a fabricated report to counter the Akal Takht's position.
"This has never happened in the history of Sikhism," Warring said in a statement, adding that the people of Punjab would not forgive AAP leaders for resorting to such actions to protect their political positions.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also called for Mann's resignation, alleging that money had been used to obtain a fabricated report challenging the authority of the Akal Takht Sahib.
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh said Punjab had never witnessed a more unfortunate situation than a sitting chief minister continuing in office after being labelled a "Guru Dhokhi" and "Panth Virodhi" by the Akal Takht.
