Oppn wants Mann’s mask video against sacrilege charge tested

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s dramatic attempt to debunk the controversial ‘sacrilege’ videos by claiming that the person seen in them was wearing a hyper-realistic mask has opened up a fresh round of questions, with the Opposition demanding that the new “mask video” itself be subjected to an independent forensic examination.

A day after Mann held a detailed press conference in Mohali claiming that Canada-based Jagman Samra had orchestrated a conspiracy against him by using a lookalike wearing a customised Bhagwant Mann mask, political opponents questioned both the timing of the new defence and the authenticity of the material presented by the chief minister.

“I have not made these videos. And I do not know who has made them. I have got these checked independently from docufraud (a lab in Canada) and they found the videos to be authentic and did not mention any mask. The labs which the Akal Takht used to get the videos checked also did not mention a mask. Similarly, the two labs the Punjab government used did not mention any mask. Why didn’t Bhagwant Mann talk about the mask in the first instance?” asked Samra.

Although Samra’s social media accounts are currently not directly accessible in India after being withheld following requests by the Punjab police, videos carrying his response were shared by Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira and senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia on X.

Latest #Bombshell of Jagman Samra on the #Mask ! @BhagwantMann stands more and more exposed !

We @INCIndia demand his immediate resignation,apology and Fir against him-Khaira @kcvenugopalmp @Jairam_Ramesh @Pawankhera @bhupeshbaghel pic.twitter.com/fyxRoTvpZL

— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 26, 2026

ThePrint reached out to Maliwal for comment through phone calls and Whatsapp messages. This report will be updated when and if she responds.

Samra also questioned the claim by the chief minister that the reason the person in the video was wearing sunglasses throughout is because a mask cannot hide eyes. “The mask that is shown in my hand by the chief minister has eyes on it. If the mask was with eyes, why was there a need for the person to wear sunglasses?” asked Samra.

“When and where have I purchased a mask and which person put it on? If you have the details of the mask you will also know where I got it from. Why doesn’t the person who sold it to me come forward?” Samra questioned the chief minister.

He also rejected Mann’s claim that they barely knew each other. During Thursday’s press conference, Mann had maintained that he had met Samra only once during a visit to Canada many years ago. Samra, however, is heard claiming that he had known Mann for years and that their families knew each other from Sangrur.

Part-2 #Bombshell of Jagman Samra explaining his close proximity with @BhagwantMann and debunking his foolish #Mask story ! @INCIndia @AamAadmiParty @ArvindKejriwal @AAPPunjab @BJP4India @Akali_Dal_ pic.twitter.com/RDuNm2xbcm

— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 26, 2026

Opposition leaders argued that Mann’s latest explanation raises several questions that remain unanswered. Majithia questioned why the “mask theory” surfaced only now. “Until last week, Mann’s defence had centred on the argument that the controversial videos were AI-generated. After the Akal Takht declared him “anti-Guru” and “anti-Khalsa Panth” relying on reports from two Government of India-recognised forensic laboratories, Mann changed his stand, saying the videos were not necessarily AI-generated but that the person appearing in them was someone else,” he said.

“Following the registration of the Gurugram FIR alleging a conspiracy to procure favourable forensic reports, Mann’s explanation evolved further into the claim that the individual was a lookalike wearing a mask,” said Majithia.

Chandigarh: On the controversy surrounding a viral video allegedly showing Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia says, “The CM has shared a few things in the video which I would like to share with you. Today, he changed the sixth statement.… pic.twitter.com/0L0qL5rBDc

— IANS (@ians_india) June 25, 2026

Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira questioned why, if the mask was so clearly visible, neither of the two reports obtained by the Punjab government from laboratories in Gurugram and Panchkula had referred to it.

“If the mask was so obvious, why did the two reports produced by the Punjab government not mention it? Why is this explanation emerging only now?” Khaira asked.

@BhagwantMann please clarify if you had the “Mask” story why wasn’t it mentioned in the fake forensic report procured by @AamAadmiParty govt ?

Bcoz according to the bogus fake report the forensic experts examined your video from 1141 different frames ! So why wasn’t the “Mask”… https://t.co/dLQVLxuW08

— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 25, 2026

Khaira also challenged Mann’s claim regarding the source of one of the videos shown during Thursday’s presentation.

According to Mann, the clip exposing the alleged mask had originated from Jagman Samra’s official TikTok account. Khaira, however, claimed the account had been created only in April this year and therefore could not be the original account from which the controversial material had first emerged. He alleged that the account itself appeared to be fake and questioned why the chief minister had relied upon it while presenting what he described as conclusive evidence before the media.

Everyone by now knows @AamAadmiParty is a party of tricksters and @BhagwantMann played yet another trick to save himself not realizing he has further entangled himself ! @AAPPunjab has fraudulently created a fake ID of Jagman Samra on 06.04.2026 who released the controversial… pic.twitter.com/ZsMthU1mQs

— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 25, 2026

The controversy has also triggered demands for a separate forensic examination of the videos relied upon by Mann during Thursday’s press conference.

Opposition leaders argued that if the chief minister was relying on a few-second clip purportedly showing Jagman Samra holding a ‘Bhagwant Mann mask’ inside a vehicle, that video itself should now undergo independent forensic analysis apart from the one in which Mann claimed a man was wearing the mask.

The BJP also questioned Mann’s changing stand, with party leaders arguing that the chief minister had moved from claiming the videos were AI-generated to saying they featured someone else and now to alleging the use of a hyper-realistic mask.

Delhi: BJP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney says, “It is a matter of great sadness that for the last six months, Bhagwant Mann and his government have been coming up with a new version every day. If his video is not there – if he was not there – earlier in January, he said it is… pic.twitter.com/SRks2sz5U6

— IANS (@ians_india) June 26, 2026

The controversy began after videos surfaced allegedly showing Mann engaging in acts considered sacrilegious by sections of the Sikh community.

When summoned by the Akal Takht earlier this year, Mann maintained that the videos were AI-generated. The Akal Takht subsequently said two Government of India-recognised forensic laboratories found no evidence of AI manipulation or tampering and, on 15 June, declared Mann “anti-Guru” and “anti-Khalsa Panth”.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)

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Also read: Mann presents ‘mask’ theory in sacrilege video row, blames Canada-based ‘blackmailer’ for conspiracy

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