NEW DELHI — In a major escalation of the ongoing political crisis in Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday demanded the immediate resignation and arrest of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The development comes after the Gurugram Police exposed an alleged conspiracy to fabricate a forensic report to clear the Chief Minister’s name in a highly sensitive religious controversy.
Chief Minister Mann has strongly denied the allegations, accusing the BJP-led Haryana government of political intimidation and orchestrating a conspiracy alongside the Akali Dal and Congress to defame him before the Sikh community.
The Genesis: The Viral Video and Akal Takht Action
The political storm began last week when the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, declared Chief Minister Mann “anti-Sikh” and issued a stringent religious punishment. The action was taken over a viral video that purportedly showed the Chief Minister sprinkling alcohol on images of Sikh Gurus.
To counter the fallout, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab released a cyber and forensic analysis report claiming that the video was deepfaked, manipulated, and that the individual in the clip was not Chief Minister Mann.
The Gurugram Twist: ₹10 Lakh Bribery and Forgery Allegations
The controversy took a criminal turn on Tuesday when the Gurugram Police arrested two individuals—Ankit from Delhi and Arun from Panchkula—for allegedly forging the very forensic report the Punjab government used to defend Mann.
According to the police investigation and the official complaint:
-
The Coercion: A private cyber expert alleged he was approached by individuals posing as senior Punjab government officials who pressured him to draft a report with predetermined conclusions denying Mann’s identity in the video.
-
The Deal: The complainant alleged he was offered a financial incentive of ₹10 lakh in cash during a meeting at a Gurugram hotel, with repeated demands to alter the findings to fit a specific narrative.
-
Police Involvement: In a press conference, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa released alleged chat leaks implicating top Punjab Police officials, including Ludhiana Commissioner Swapan Sharma and SP Jashandeep Singh, in coordinating the fake clean-chit.
War of Words: Claims and Counterclaims
The breakthrough has triggered a fierce political battle between the AAP leadership and the BJP.
“Bhagwant Mann has insulted the Sikhs and the Akal Takht. He has attempted to discredit the Akal Takht with his money power. He should be arrested immediately for this clear case of fakery and forgery.” — Manjinder Singh Sirsa, BJP Leader
“We got a genuine investigation done at a forensic lab. Now, the BJP wants to scare the lab owners with an FIR and force them to say that we got a wrong report made by paying ₹10 lakh. I cannot even dream of such a despicable act against our Gurus. I leave it to the sangat (Sikh community) to decide.” — Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Chief Minister
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini strongly rejected Mann’s claims of political pressure, emphasizing that the Gurugram Police acted purely on a factual complaint regarding laboratory fraud. He warned that an issue concerning the dignity of the Sikh Gurus should not be heavily politicized.
