₹10 lakh for doctoring video? BJP calls for Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's arrest over ‘sacrilege’ clip

THe Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) intensified its assail on Punjab chief government minister Bhagwant horace mann, demanding his stay over a controversy linked to a purported video that allegedly showed the desecration of photographs of Sikh gurus.Addressing a press conference, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of maintaining silence on an issue that, he said, had deeply hurt Sikh sentiments.Sirsa alleged that those who submitted a forensic report related to the video were now facing arrests and criminal cases, claiming it was an effort to suppress the matter.“Bhagwant Mann remained silent, Arvind Kejriwal also remained silent, and today the arrests and case filed against those who provided this forensic report were made,” Sirsa said, according to news agency ANI.He further alleged that a serious offence had been committed and that attempts were made to bury the issue through money and police action.Questioning the lack of action against the Punjab chief minister, Sirsa asked, “When will a case be filed against Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann? When will Bhagwant Mann be arrested in this case?”Row linked to controversial videoThe BJP also accused Mann and the AAP of trying to undermine the authority of the Akal Takht by allegedly seeking a fabricated forensic report to counter findings linked to the controversial video.The controversy stems from a video purportedly showing a man resembling Mann engaging in activities described as objectionable in the presence of photographs of Sikh gurus and slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Earlier this month, the Akal Takht declared Mann “guru dokhi” (anti-guru) and “Khalsa panth virodhi” (anti-Khalsa panth) over the video, another ANI report added.Sirsa alleged that instead of expressing regret, AAP leaders attempted to challenge the findings.“Instead of repenting for this sin he committed, their minister Harpal Cheema held a press conference on June 18 and said that this video is fake,” Sirsa alleged.Two arrested and ₹10 lakh claimAs reported by HT earlier, the latest political confrontation follows the arrest of two men by Haryana Police on Tuesday in connection with allegations that forged forensic reports were prepared to declare the controversial video AI-generated.The accused, Arun Mahendru, 25, from Sirsa and Ankit Sharma, 25, from Jind district, were arrested after an FIR was registered at the DLF police station in Gurugram based on a complaint by Jaspreet Singh, a cyber-forensics professional from Haryana.According to Haryana Police, the two accused allegedly provided Jaspreet Singh with forensic certificates claiming to be issued by laboratories named Cyberyan and Cipher Sentinel.Naveen Sharma, ACP (Crime), said, “Both of these laboratories are fake and non-existing".According to the complaint, he was told that a video circulating on social media and allegedly featuring the Punjab chief minister needed to be “certified as AI-generated and unreliable”.Jaspreet claimed he informed those present that the quality and origin of the video were insufficient for any reliable forensic examination, including facial comparison, anthropometric analysis or deepfake detection.However, he further alleged that during a subsequent meeting, he was again pressured to support the claim that the video was AI-generated. According to the complaint, the pressure later escalated into threats directed at him and his family, while around ₹10 lakh was allegedly placed in his car as an inducement.