A political storm has erupted in Punjab after the BJP alleged that a forged forensic report was prepared to clear Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in a controversial video case.
The controversy began when a video circulated on social media purportedly showing Mann sprinkling alcohol on photographs of Sikh religious leaders. Mann denied the allegation and claimed opposition parties were conspiring to damage his reputation. Sikh body Akal Takht also condemned the incident and imposed a punishment on him.
Following a high-level inquiry, the Punjab government released a forensic report stating the video had been examined by two laboratories and that the person in the footage was not Mann but someone resembling him. The report said the clip was fabricated to defame the Chief Minister.
In a new development, a forensic expert filed a complaint with Gurugram police in Haryana, alleging that two men claiming to be senior Punjab police officials pressured and threatened him to issue a report stating the person in the video was not Mann. The complainant also alleged he was urged to coordinate with “fake labs” and was offered Rs 10 lakh.
Based on the complaint, Gurugram police registered a case and arrested two men—Ankit from Delhi and Arun from Panchkula. Police also claimed the Punjab government’s forensic report was fabricated and that a Rs 10 lakh bribe was involved. BJP leader and Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged Punjab police officers helped prepare the fake report and demanded Mann’s immediate arrest. Mann, in turn, said the Haryana BJP government was intimidating lab owners and forcing them to make false claims, insisting the Punjab report was accurate and leaving the matter to Akal Takht.
