Chandigarh: The row over the video of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann allegedly committing sacrilege escalated sharply Tuesday after Gurugram Police registered an FIR over allegations that forensic reports presented by the chief minister to exonerate himself were procured under pressure and with a pre-determined objective.
One of the most serious allegations in a Gurugram Police statement relates to financial inducements. According to the police statement, the complainant alleged that approximately Rs 10 lakh in cash was provided to facilitate preparation of the reports and that payments were made through different channels to other persons allegedly involved in the exercise.
Two people accused of being part of an alleged conspiracy to obtain “fake forensic and cyber analysis reports” related to the controversial video have been arrested, Gurugram Police said in the statement issued late Tuesday.
The police had described the case Tuesday as a “highly sensitive and significant matter involving an alleged conspiracy to obtain forensic reports designed to deny the identity of the person appearing in the viral video and portray allegations connected to it as false”.
The development comes days after Mann rejected the findings of the Akal Takht, claiming that reports obtained by his government after analysing the video from “1,191 angles” had established that he was not the person seen in the footage.
The controversy began earlier this year, when a video surfaced on social media showing Mann sprinkling liquor on pictures of Sikh Gurus among other allegedly sacrilegious acts.
The Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, summoned the chief minister in January. Mann maintained that the video was fake and generated using artificial intelligence. The Akal Takht subsequently said it had obtained forensic examinations from two Government of India-recognised laboratories, which found no evidence of tampering or AI-generated manipulation. Based on those findings, the Akal Takht on 15 June declared Mann “anti-Guru” and “anti-Khalsa Panth”.
Days later, Mann released a video statement claiming that fresh examinations conducted on behalf of the Punjab government had established that the person appearing in the footage was not him.
According to the Gurugram Police, a special investigation team, under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), arrested the two accused in Gurugram shortly after the FIR was registered.
The arrested persons were identified as Arun Mehandru, resident of Aggarsain Colony in Sirsa, and Ankit, resident of Kharak Gagar village in Jind district—both aged 25.
Police said the two were being questioned regarding the preparation of the alleged fake forensic and cyber reports, authenticity of the institutions that issued the reports, financial transactions linked to the exercise, and the identities of other persons allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
Electronic devices, documents and other material evidence are also being subjected to scientific examination, according to the police statement.
Also Read: What Akal Takht declaring Bhagwant Mann ‘anti-Guru’ means for him & AAP in the sole state it rules
What the FIR alleges
The FIR was registered on the complaint of Jaspreet Singh, a Sirsa resident who works in digital forensics, cyber investigations and electronic evidence analysis.
Jaspreet, according to the police, had contacted Mehandru, who ran a forensic lab in Panchkula, for one report. Mehandru further contacted Ankit to request a second report to complement the first.
According to the FIR, which has since gone viral on social media, the complainant alleged that he was approached by individuals claiming to be senior Punjab government officials and was asked to arrange forensic reports relating to the viral video in a manner that would support a pre-determined conclusion.
He alleged that he was told the report was required in connection with the controversial video involving the Punjab chief minister, which had become the subject of widespread discussion on social media and in public discourse.
The complainant also alleged that he was asked to facilitate findings that would deny that the person seen in the video was the chief minister and portray all allegations arising from the footage as false.
According to the FIR, he repeatedly informed those involved that the available material was insufficient to reach a conclusive forensic determination.
“I clearly stated that the available material was not suitable for arriving at a definitive forensic or scientific conclusion regarding whether the video was AI-generated, altered or manipulated,” the complainant states in the FIR. “Despite my reservations, continuous pressure was exerted on me to provide a report supporting a predetermined conclusion.”
The complainant further alleges that the objective was not to obtain an independent scientific opinion. “The purpose was not to seek an independent scientific opinion but to obtain a report carrying a previously determined conclusion.”
The FIR adds, “The reports were being prepared and modified while instructions and suggestions were continuously being provided regarding their contents.”
According to the complaint, the issue was not being treated as a routine technical exercise but as a matter with wider implications. “This was not a matter involving an ordinary citizen. It had already acquired political, social and religious significance and there was an attempt to obtain a report carrying a pre-determined conclusion,” the FIR quotes the complainant as saying. Repeated modifications were allegedly sought in the reports to steer them towards a desired conclusion.
Jaspreet further told the police that he had no knowledge that the two labs from where the reports were procured were recognised by the government.
Political allegations gather momentum
The arrests have given fresh political significance to allegations that had been circulating in Punjab’s political circles for the past few days.
On 16 June, senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia claimed on X that a senior Punjab Police officer had been tasked with obtaining reports from various laboratories to establish that the person appearing in the video was not Bhagwant Mann.
Two days later, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, during a press conference in Chandigarh, identified the officer as Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma, and alleged that efforts were underway to secure reports contradicting the Akal Takht’s findings.
ThePrint reached Sharma for comment by phone calls and WhatsApp messages. This report will be updated if a response is received.
Badal also questioned why the chief minister’s position appeared to have shifted from initially claiming the video was AI-generated to later arguing that the individual appearing in the footage was not him.
On Monday, Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged on X that the reports procured by the chief minister were fake and the Gurugram police was on the brink of the expose.
On Tuesday, both Khaira and Majithia separately released videos, screenshots and other material which they claimed showed meetings between the complainant Jaspreet, whose allegations led to the registration of the FIR, and Punjab Police officials at a Gurugram hotel for the preparation of the reports.
Majithia also released what he claimed were WhatsApp conversations between Jaspreet and an alleged senior Punjab police officer indicating that changes were being suggested by the officer in the wording of reports before they were finalised.
PART 3
SP ਜਸ਼ਨ ਗਿੱਲ ਸਾਇਬਰ crime ( whatsapp chat )
❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️⚠️@PunjabPoliceInd @DGPPunjabPolice@AAPPunjab @BhagwantMann@ArvindKejriwal @ptcnews @abpsanjha @News18Punjab @ZeePunjabHH @dailyajitnews @JagbaniOnline@RozanaSpokesman@PTribuneOnline @punjabkesari@RepublicTV… pic.twitter.com/BSt9p6On8K
— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) June 23, 2026
On Wednesday, Majithia released a video statement of Jaspreet Singh in which he related the sequence of events on camera as he has stated in his complaint to the Gurugram police.
ਫਰਜ਼ੀ ਰਿਪੋਰਟ ਤਿਆਰ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਜਸਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨੂੰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਤੋਂ ਜਾਨ ਦਾ ਖਤਰਾ। ਸੁਣੋ ਜਸਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਦੀ ਜ਼ੁਬਾਨੀ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਸਰਕਾਰੀ ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀ ਇਸ ਮਾਮਲੇ 'ਚ ਮਿਲੇ ਸਨ….@punjabpoliceind @dgppunjabpolice @AAPPunjab @BhagwantMann@ArvindKejriwal @ptcnews @abpsanjha @News18Punjab @ZeePunjabHH @dailyajitnews… pic.twitter.com/F9iuOrzzQe
— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) June 23, 2026
In a video message, Majithia also gave details of the expenditure that the Punjab police had allegedly done to procure the reports. He posted the bills of the hotels in which the Punjab police officials had stayed in Gurugram as also certain bank documents.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: Why Punjab CM Mann & Kejriwal are facing flak for ‘manufacturing’ youth support over NEET campaign