Bhagwant Mann Fake Video Controversy Forensic Report Pressure Claims

The day after the Gurgaon police registered an FIR in connection with an alleged fake forensic report on a controversial video purportedly showing him, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday said the owners of forensic laboratories were being pressured as he accused the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of joining hands to politically and religiously defame him. In a video message to the people, Mann maintained that the video was fake and said there was no resemblance between him and the person seen in the clip. He said neither the physique, height, manner of walking, nor manner of standing of the person matched his own. Mann said people from across the world had contacted him after the video surfaced and told him it appeared to be fake. “People could easily make out that the video was not genuine,” he said. Referring to forensic reports cited by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to support its claim that the video had been fabricated, Mann alleged, “Those associated with the laboratories were now being targeted. They were threatened with legal action and pressured into saying the reports had been prepared for money. According to them, the laboratory from which we got the report is fake and the one they rely on is genuine. People know who is speaking the truth and who is not,” he said. 'Opposition unable to mount political challenge' The Chief Minister alleged that the BJP, Congress and SAD had come together in Punjab because they were unable to challenge him politically or socially. He claimed that, having failed to take on his government on governance issues, they were now trying to tarnish his image on religious grounds. Mann said fresh videos were being circulated regularly on social media to target him. Describing them as fake, he urged people not to believe content generated through artificial intelligence (AI) or spread online without verification. “These leaders are not there on the ground anymore. They exist only on AI,” he said. He also referred to the Opposition's plans to display his posters at religious events and accused his political opponents of adopting double standards. In an apparent reference to the Akali Dal, Mann said those who had admitted before the Akal Takht to mistakes committed during their tenure were now questioning him. He alleged that political rivals were selectively raising issues to attack him while ignoring their own record. The Chief Minister said opposition parties were uncomfortable with the public response he continued to receive during village visits, public meetings and Lok Milni programmes. “They cannot digest the crowds that gather wherever I go,” he said, adding that this was the reason they had resorted to what he described as a campaign of disinformation. Focus on governance, welfare Mann said he would continue to focus on governance and public welfare. Listing his government's initiatives, he referred to work relating to electricity, water supply, roads, schools, hospitals, employment generation, village ponds and the expansion of canal irrigation. He said these were the issues on which his government would maintain its focus. Describing himself as “a man of the people”, Mann said he had left behind a successful career to enter public life and would continue to remain among ordinary citizens. “I leave the judgment to you. You have to deliver the final verdict. I will remain among people. I am from among them,” he said.