Amid the political row over Bhagwant Mann being labelled "anti-Khalsa Panth" by the Akal Takht Sahib over a viral video, the Punjab CM has now claimed that the person in the video was someone wearing a mask.
Addressing the media in Mohali, Mann showed a clip that he claimed proved that the person seen in the controversial video was wearing a mask resembling his face.
The viral video, which purports that the CM committed a sacrilegious act against pictures of Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, had angered the Sikh clerical group as far back as January this year.
CM Mann also faced backlash over his alleged comments on the guru ki golak (donation box).
However, at Mohali, he alleged that a Jagman Samra, based in Canada, had brought a mask resembling his face.
He showed a video claiming that Samra was holding the mask that was placed on another person to "make" a video to "blackmail" him.
He added that Samra, whom he declared was "not my friend", was based in Canada's Abbottsford—a place he claimed that he had not visited since 2016.
“Who installs pictures of Guru Sahib in hotels?” he questioned, also flagging the lack of a surgical scar on the alleged impersonator's neck.
While the Akal Takht's response to the mask claim is still awaited, the BJP was quick to call out the "changing versions".
Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sarin questioned how the CM had earlier claimed the video was AI-generated, and had later latched onto the "theory" that the video had an impersonator with a mask.
He also asked why Mann had also not verified the video with an accredited independent forensic laboratory over the past few months if the CM was confident that it was fake.
This comes after the Akal Takht's Jathedar (leader), Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, revealed at a June 15 meeting that reports from two forensic labs had confirmed the viral video as "authentic", as per an Indian Express report.
The Akal Takht's edict has already led to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) adding to the backlash against him.
It has urged him to resign before the beginning of the 'Dharam Yudh Morcha' from the Akal Takht, from July 19 onwards, over "the most unforgivable outrage" against the religious body.
All eyes are now on how the Akal Takht will respond to CM Mann's silicone mask claim.
