Chandigarh: The Akal Takht’s Monday announcement branding Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as a “Guru Dokhi” (anti-Guru) and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi” (anti-Khalsa Panth) marks one of the most extraordinary confrontations between a sitting chief minister and the Sikh religious authority in recent decades.
Coming less than a year before Punjab is due for polls, the decision has injected religion directly into the state’s political discourse and opened a potentially significant challenge for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has until now largely succeeded in framing Punjab politics around governance and welfare, rather than Panthic issues.
Since Mann is not an amritdhari Sikh (baptized Sikh), Akal Takht’s pronouncement against him is in the form of severe moral censure. He cannot be moved against and declared a tankhaiya and handed over punishment to atone for his sins.
In response, Mann issued a video statement Tuesday, alleging that the “political appointees” of the Akal Takht have tried to malign him because he was working hard for the state’s welfare.
The controversy began in January this year when a complaint was submitted to the Akal Takht, alleging Mann had acted in a manner offensive to Sikh sentiments. Central to the complaint was a video purportedly showing the chief minister sprinkling liquor on symbolic images of the ten Sikh Gurus and on a small statue of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
In his statement on Tuesday, Mann added that he was not the person seen in the video. He said the Akal Takht though is a revered seat of authority, it has succumbed to the wishes of its “political masters” and “undertaken this propaganda” against him.
“Monday’s development is potentially the most serious religious-political challenge Mann has faced since becoming chief minister. However, whether it translates into an electoral setback for the AAP depends on three factors: the credibility of the video among voters, the ability of opposition parties to consolidate Sikh sentiment, and whether governance issues ultimately outweigh religious controversy in the 2027 election,” said Dr Kanwalpreet Kaur of the Department of Political Science, DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh.
Days after the video was submitted to the Akal Takht, Mann was summoned by Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. He appeared on 15 January and unequivocally denied the authenticity of the video and maintained that it had been generated using artificial intelligence. He declared that any national or international forensic laboratory could establish that the footage was fake.
Shifting away from his earlier statement, Mann Tuesday did not say that the video was AI-generated. He only claimed that the person in the video was not him. “The physical shape, the height etc are not mine. I’m not the person in the video,” said Mann.
ਅਹਿਮ ਮੁੱਦੇ 'ਤੇ, ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ ਤੋਂ LIVE ——- अहम मुद्दे पे, चंडीगढ़ से LIVE https://t.co/8UFvmKLMdg
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) June 16, 2026
According to Monday’s resolution, the Akal Takht subsequently asked Mann to suggest two forensic laboratories where the video could be examined. A formal communication was sent on 27 January. But neither the chief minister nor his office responded.
The Akal Takht then independently commissioned forensic examinations from two Government of India-recognised laboratories. The lab reports dated 27 May and 13 June allegedly concluded that the video was authentic and showed no signs of tampering or AI manipulation.
On Monday, representatives of various Sikh organisations, scholars and legal experts met in the Golden Temple at Amritsar, and the gathering resolved that Mann be formally declared “anti-Guru” and “anti-Khalsa Panth”. The resolution further directed members of the Guru Khalsa Panth not to associate with him.
“The meeting observed that the office of the Chief Minister is highly respected and carries the responsibility of representing every citizen of the state. It further noted that Bhagwant Singh made false statements before Sri Akal Takht Sahib regarding the video, raising concerns about his ability to make decisions in the interests of the Guru and the Sikh community while serving as Chief Minister,” read the resolution.
The symbolism of such a declaration cannot be underestimated. While the Akal Takht possesses no constitutional authority over an elected government, its moral authority among many Sikhs remains substantial. Historically, its pronouncements have shaped public discourse even when they have not directly altered political outcomes.
The immediate political challenge for Mann is not legal but moral. Mann is not simply the head of government, he is also the most visible Sikh political figure in the state. For much of his tenure, Mann has cultivated an image of accessibility, humility and cultural rootedness. The Akal Takht’s declaration directly attacks that image.
The resolution argues that Mann’s conduct is incompatible with the values expected of a Sikh leader and that he subsequently attempted to evade responsibility by claiming the video was fabricated.
The Akal Takht’s intervention has also reintroduced Panthic politics into the centre of electoral discourse. For the AAP, the danger is not necessarily an immediate collapse in support. Rather, it is the possibility that the election narrative begins shifting away from governance and towards questions of religious identity and legitimacy.
“The crucial electoral question is whether ordinary Sikh voters accept the Akal Takht’s interpretation of events. Punjab’s political history suggests that religious interventions matter most when they reinforce existing public perceptions. If voters already believe a leader has become arrogant or disconnected, religious criticism can be politically devastating,” said Prof Manjit Singh, formerly with the department of sociology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
If they remain broadly satisfied with governance, welfare delivery and leadership, they may view such controversies as secondary, he added.
“AAP’s response is likely to rest on precisely that calculation. The party will argue that it enacted the state’s toughest anti-sacrilege legislation, that political opponents are exploiting religious institutions, and that governance should remain the primary criterion for judging governments. Whether that argument succeeds will depend on how the controversy evolves over the coming months,” he said.
Opposition demands CM’s resignation
The matter threatens to snowball into a major political issue in the state. The Congress has sought the chief minister’s resignation. Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said Arvind Kejriwal should show political maturity and ensure that Mann resigns.
“Some matters should be beyond politics and this is one of them because it is an extremely sensitive issue. The Akal Takht has found that the video is not doctored. It is a clear case of the chief minister indulging in sacrilege,” said Bajwa.
Respect for Sri Akal Takht Sahib is a matter of faith and deep sentiment for Sikhs across the world.
The declaration against @BhagwantMann is an extremely serious issue, not a routine political controversy.
Instead of showing humility and sensitivity, the CM chose… pic.twitter.com/EiSOHXoASQ
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) June 16, 2026
Congress MP Sukhjinder Randhawa told the media that it was a matter of shame for the whole state that the chief minister had been indulging in such things. “If the state government wants to challenge what the Akal Takht has found then it should also get the video examined from a government run laboratory,” said Randhawa.
State Congress chief and MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also demanded the chief minister’s resignation on moral grounds.
State BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon said officials and officers of the Punjab government should refuse to deal with the chief minister in accordance with the directions of the Akal Takht.
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a video message that the chief minister had no right to continue on his seat “even for 5 minutes”.
When asked if SAD plans to move court against Mann, SAD spokesperson and legal head Arshdeep Singh Kler said that following the forensic reports, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is free to move the court to press for registration of an FIR against the chief minister for sacrilege.
“It is a decision that lies with the SGPC, not the Akali Dal,” Kler told ThePrint.
Also Read: Bhagwant Mann vs Akal Takht—Punjab’s anti-sacrilege law opens new fault lines
The other resolution
Apart from the resolution regarding the video, another resolution was passed over the Punjab government’s recently enacted Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026.
The Akal Takht maintained that the government passed the legislation without adequately consulting central Sikh institutions. It noted that objections had been formally conveyed to the Punjab government through Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and that sufficient time had been given for reconsideration.
According to the resolution, those objections were ignored. The gathering accused the government of adopting an “obstinate and arrogant” approach and specifically criticised Mann for publicly questioning the authority of the Akal Takht during the debate surrounding the legislation.
As a consequence, Sikh ministers in the Punjab Cabinet, with the exception of Mann himself, along with Sikh MLAs from various political parties, have been summoned to appear before the Akal Takht Secretariat on 29 June. Explanations will also be sought from non-Sikh ministers.
“The summoning of ministers and MLAs on June 29 ensures that the controversy will remain alive. The confrontation between the Punjab government and Sikh religious authority is no longer confined to a single video or a single statement. It is expected to expand into a broader dispute over the government’s relationship with Sikh institutions and its handling of matters touching religious sentiment.
For Bhagwant Mann, therefore, the challenge extends beyond defending himself against a specific allegation. He must now confront a situation in which the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs has questioned both his conduct and his credibility,” added Dr Kanwalpreet Kaur.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: Punjab got anti-sacrilege law after three failed attempts in past decade. And this one has teeth