Chandigarh: Political tensions over the alleged sacrilege video linked to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann intensified on Thursday after former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha accused the Punjab government of fabricating a forensic report to conceal the authenticity of the video.
Addressing a press conference, Chadha demanded Mann’s immediate resignation and called for the first FIR under Punjab’s newly enacted sacrilege law to be registered against the Chief Minister.
Chadha alleged that the forensic report was created to cast doubt on the authenticity of the video but instead strengthened public belief that the footage was genuine.
“The truth behind the original sacrilege video has now come out. Those who were unsure whether the video was real or AI-generated have now seen that a fake forensic report had to be prepared to hide the original video. Had the video been fake, there would have been no need to manufacture such a report,” he alleged.
He further claimed that attempts had been made to undermine the authority of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and said members of the Sikh community were hurt, angry and seeking answers. Chadha urged AAP’s Sikh MLAs to clarify whether they stood with the Sikh Panth and Sri Akal Takht Sahib or with Bhagwant Mann.
Calling for a detailed investigation, Chadha sought a probe into how the alleged forensic report was obtained, which officials were involved, whether public funds were used and whether offences such as misuse of government funds or money laundering were committed.
He said two key demands were now being raised by members of the Sikh community: Bhagwant Mann’s immediate resignation as Chief Minister and registration of the first FIR against him under Punjab’s new sacrilege law.
“Bhagwant Mann is no longer fit to remain Chief Minister even for a minute,” Chadha alleged.
Referring to his own political journey, Chadha said he considered himself fortunate to have parted ways with the Aam Aadmi Party in time. He also appealed to party workers and supporters to decide whether they stood with Bhagwant Mann or with the Sikh Panth.
The Punjab government and the Aam Aadmi Party had not issued any official response to Chadha’s allegations at the time of publication.
