Sri Akal Takht, the highest physical and spiritual seat of authority in Sikhism, has declared Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann as ‘anti-Khalsa Panth’ and ‘anti-Guru’ and asked the Sikh community to disassociate themselves from him.
The decision by the Akal Takht was taken after a forensic investigation report of an alleged viral video of the Chief Minister was released. The decision was announced by Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gadgajj of Sri Akal Takht.
The move has come after a meeting was held at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar where Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gadgajj made this declaration against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann being ‘anti-Panth’ and ‘anti-Guru’.
The Sikh clergy also summoned all Sikh MLAs, regardless of party affiliation, and the Punjab Cabinet before the Akal Takht on June 29 in connection with an anti-sacrilege law.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj pronounced the edict from the ‘faseel’ (podium of the Akal Takht) after the ‘five Singh Sahiban’ (Sikh clergy) held a meeting in Amritsar. Gargajj claimed that the video circulating on social media — purportedly showing a man resembling Bhagwant Mann — was found to be “authentic” by two forensic laboratories.
The forensic investigation report of the alleged viral video of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann drinking alcohol was presented at Sri Akal Takht Sahib on Monday. The investigation revealed that the video was neither created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) nor has any editing or tampering been done to it.
Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gadgajj claimed that in the video, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was seen holding a glass of alcohol in front of a picture of Guru Sahib. According to the Jathedar, the video was examined by two renowned Indian labs, and both reports confirmed it to be authentic.
He further said the Akal Takht secretariat had written to the chief minister in January after Mann announced that he was open to a forensic examination of the video; however, they did not receive any response. Thereafter, the Akal Takht secretariat got the video examined from two labs, he said.
“A position of chief minister is respectable. But chief minister Bhagwant Singh (Mann) lied at the Akal Takht (about the video),” claimed Gargajj. The five Singh Sahibans declared the chief minister as ‘Guru Dokhi’ and ‘Khalsa Panth Virodhi’, said Gargajj from the podium of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
The matter stems from the summoning of Mann by the Akal Takht in January this year for allegedly making comments on ‘Guru ki Golak’ (a gurdwara donation box) and indulging in “objectionable activities”.
Following these developments, a decision was made to conduct a scientific examination of the video. The Akal Takht issued this decision after the investigation report was released.
The Jathedar of the Akal Takht also stated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had lied before the Akal Takht, adding that such a person cannot be expected to make decisions in the interest of the Panth.
Mann had appeared before the secretariat in Amritsar on January 15 and submitted that the videos circulating on social media were fake. He also said that the video was fake or AI-generated and that the ‘Singh Sahiban’ could get its forensic examination done from any lab in the country.
AAP Alleges ‘Conspiracy’, Says Legal Team Reviewing Matter
Shortly before the pronouncement by the ‘Singh Sahiban’ at the Akal Takht, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu on Monday said the lab reports, as claimed by the Akal Takht Jathedar, did not make it clear who the person was seen in the video.
He also indicated that Gargajj has become political and has chosen a side and asserted that the Akal Takht Sahib is the ‘takht’ of the entire Sikh community. “It neither belongs to SAD chief Sukhbir Badal nor SAD,” Pannu said.
“Who is the person in the video? Which hotel is the one where Guru Sahib’s photo is displayed? If the forensic investigation reveals the video to be genuine, the question remains: Who is in the video?” he asked.
“This is merely a conspiracy to defame Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. This is part of a conspiracy that has been hatched for the past four years to defame the Chief Minister,” Pannu added.
AAP’s Punjab cabinet minister, Harpal Cheema, said, “These days, it’s becoming increasingly common to use AI to create videos of anyone and then claim they’re real. No one has the right to do so. Our legal team is studying this matter.”