Viral video row: BJP seeks Bhagwant Mann’s resignation over ‘mask theory’ remarks
The Punjab unit of the BJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that he had repeatedly changed his stand on a controversial video and was misleading the public.
Punjab BJP general secretary Anil Sareen said the people of the state no longer had faith in the chief minister’s statements. He claimed that different explanations had been given for the video over time, including that it was AI-generated, a deepfake and most recently linked to a “mask theory”.
Mann finds himself in the midst of a raging controversy after the Akal Takht earlier this month declared him “guru dokhi” (anti-guru) and “Khalsa panth virodhi” (anti-Khalsa panth) over a video purportedly showing a man resembling him indulging in objectionable activities with pictures of Sikh gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Sareen questioned whether the forensic reports cited by ministers and spokespersons of the AAP Government to term the video fake were genuine or whether the latest explanation should be accepted as the truth.
He alleged that serious questions had already been raised over the forensic reports obtained from Gurugram and claimed there were allegations that fake reports had been prepared with the involvement of Punjab Police officials.
The BJP leader also asked why the video had not been examined by an accredited independent forensic laboratory for eight months if the chief minister was certain that it was fake.
Accusing the Mann Government of misusing power and attempting to conceal the truth, Sareen said the chief minister should take moral responsibility for the controversy and resign from his post.
He alleged that the Government’s changing versions had further eroded public trust and raised doubts over its credibility.
Facing mounting criticism from the opposition over a controversial video, Mann on Thursday reiterated that he was not in that video and claimed that the person seen in the objectionable clip was wearing a mask resembling his face.
The matter stems from the Akal Takht summoning Mann in January this year for allegedly making comments on ‘Guru ki Golak’ (gurdwara donation box) and indulging in “objectionable activities” with the pictures of the Sikh Gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the purported video clip.
Addressing the media in Mohali on Thursday, Mann showed a purported video clip to claim that the person seen in the controversial video was wearing a mask which resembles his face.
On January 15, when Mann had appeared before the Akal Takht in Amritsar, he had submitted that the video was fake or AI-generated and that the ‘Singh Sahib’ (Sikh Clergy) could get its forensic examination done from any lab in the country.
On June 18, the chief minister reiterated that it was not him in the objectionable video and claimed that some actor was imitating him. He cited reports of two labs showing that the man in the alleged objectionable video was someone else.
The edict against Mann came after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj claimed that the video was neither tinkered with nor AI-generated.
The matter stems from the summoning of Mann by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, in January this year for allegedly making comments on ‘Guru ki Golak’ (gurdwara donation box) and in a purported video clip.
