The story so far: A video that shook Punjab’s political landscape surfaced in October 2025. It showed a person appearing be to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in a sacrilegious act, triggering outrage, which soon turned into a full-blown controversy on the political and religious fronts. The genuineness of the video, however, was open to debate. The police registered a case against the Canada-based NRI Jagmandeep Singh, alias Jagman Samra; his social media account was taken down as part of the crackdown.

As the controversy failed to die down, the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, summoned Mr. Mann in January 2026. The Chief Minister asserted that the person seen in the video was not him.