Mann said he would send the newly released video to Sri Akal Takht Sahib so that the entire matter could be investigated and the truth established.

He claimed that while face masks can replicate facial features, they cannot reproduce eye movements, which, according to him, is why the individual in the alleged fake video was wearing dark glasses. Mann also said the person shown in the video did not have the childhood mark on the chin that he has had since the age of five and alleged that the individual appeared to be around two feet taller than him.

The Chief Minister alleged that the video was created by Jagman Samra. He also released another video purportedly showing Samra receiving delivery of a face mask and carrying it into a hotel. Mann further claimed that the room shown in the controversial video could not be authentic because there were no photographs of Sikh Gurus inside the hotel room.

Mann said the identities of those who instructed the creation of the video, along with its alleged producer and director, would soon be revealed. He maintained that Jagman Samra had never been his friend and that they had met only once when Mann was associated with the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP). Describing Samra as a blackmailer, Mann alleged that the video may have been orchestrated by a joint front comprising the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Appealing to the Sikh community, Mann said the alleged conspiracy was aimed at defaming him on religious grounds because opposition parties had no political issues left to raise against his government. He also rejected claims that the video was recorded in 2018 or 2019, stating that he had not travelled to Canada after 2016.

Targeting the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Chief Minister questioned why similar boycott notices were not displayed outside gurdwaras after Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was declared “Tankhaiya” following his admissions before Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

Mann also criticised the Congress, saying that a party accused of attacking Sri Akal Takht Sahib during Operation Blue Star could not lecture others on respecting Sikh religious institutions. He further alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal itself had been accused in sacrilege cases and had ordered firing on Sikh youth, while accusing the BJP of having supported the military action at Sri Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

The Chief Minister said opposition parties were uncomfortable with the social, economic and governance initiatives undertaken by his government and were therefore resorting to conspiracies to defame him.

Reiterating his respect for Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Mann said he accepted its supremacy and would appear before it again without hesitation if summoned. He maintained that he had already informed the Akal Takht that the person seen in the controversial video was not him and reaffirmed that position.

Responding to a question regarding the FIR registered in Gurugram, Mann alleged that central agencies and police were pressuring forensic laboratories and other individuals into making false statements. He said all fresh video evidence related to Jagman Samra would be handed over to the police and efforts would be made to bring him back to India to face legal action.

On the issue of AAP legislators summoned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib in connection with the sacrilege law, Mann said the Punjab Assembly committee would decide the matter.

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