The five Sikh high priests have ordered all Sikh MLAs and members of the Punjab cabinet who signed the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, barring Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to appear before Akal Takht on June 29. They have also sought written explanations from non-Sikh ministers of the Punjab government.
Akal Takht Declares Mann 'Guru Dokhi'
The officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, on Monday declared Mann as 'Guru Dokhi' (anti-Guru) and 'Khalsa Panth Virodhi' (anti-Khalsa Panth) after a meeting of the Sikh high priests. He directed the Sikh Panth 'not to have any connection with Mann.' According to Giani Gargaj, the decision came after Akal Takht received forensic reports from two laboratories indicating that the alleged sacrilege videos purportedly showing Mann were neither manipulated nor generated using AI.
AAP Challenges Forensic Report
AAP Punjab state media in charge Baltej Pannu held a press conference on Monday to contest the declaration. 'The so-called forensic report being used to target CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has failed to establish even the identity of the person seen in the video,' he said. He added that after losing the trust of people and facing repeated electoral defeats, the Badal family and Shiromani Akali Dal have dragged revered Sikh institutions into their political battle in a desperate bid to regain relevance.
Earlier, Giani Gargajj said Akal Takht had summoned Mann after receiving a video featuring a person purportedly resembling the CM indulging in objectionable acts. Mann appeared before Akal Takht on January 15 and maintained that the video was fake, upon which Akal Takht asked him to suggest two forensic laboratories where the video's authenticity could be verified. On January 27, the Akal Takht secretariat wrote to Mann and the Punjab government seeking a response, but no reply has been received so far.
The officiating Jathedar said that, in the absence of any response, the Akal Takht Secretariat identified two government-approved forensic laboratories for examination of the video. According to the reports, the video was found to be original and showed no signs of manipulation or AI-generated content. Following the findings, the matter was discussed at a Panthic gathering and later deliberated upon by the five Sikh high priests, who decided to take action.
'Accordingly, on June 15, the Sikh high priests declared him 'Guru Dokhi' and 'Khalsa Panth Virodhi',' said Giani Gargaj.
AAP Questions Video Authenticity
AAP questioned the forensic report, with Pannu saying: 'Nowhere does the report state who the person in the video is. Even if we accept the claim that the video was not generated through AI, the Jathedar must explain what the height of the individual seen in the video is. Does the height of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann match the height of the person seen in the footage? Which hotel room is it where photographs of Guru Sahib are displayed, as is being claimed?' He added that AAP will place the complete truth before the people and expose every aspect of this controversy.
Pannu alleged that the same Badal family under whose rule Punjab witnessed beadbi (sacrilege) incidents, Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan tragedies, is now trying to claim moral authority, while remaining unable to digest the fact that the Bhagwant Mann government has enacted Punjab's toughest law against beadbi and delivered transformative governance.
Pannu also said: 'The Jathedar Sahib was appointed in the middle of the night at the behest of Sukhbir Badal without consulting Sikh sects or organisations, and at a place where there was not even Parkash of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Under such circumstances, his loyalty towards the Badal family and the statement of SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami describing himself as a soldier of Sukhbir Badal are proof of the politicisation of these revered Sikh institutions.'
Opposition Demands Resignation
Both BJP and Congress have demanded Mann's resignation. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said: 'When a person is declared Guru Dokhi and anti-Khalsa Panth by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, it carries serious social and moral consequences.' Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said Mann should respect the supremacy of Akal Takht and resign on moral grounds after apologising to the Sikh community.
