AAP Faces Major Setback A Year Before Punjab Polls As Akal Takht Acts Against Bhagwant Mann
AAP Faces Major Setback A Year Before Punjab Polls As Akal Takht Acts Against Bhagwant Mann Published By, Last Updated: June 16, 2026, 14:22 IST
AAP Faces Major Setback A Year Before Punjab Polls As Akal Takht Acts Against Bhagwant Mann Published By, Last Updated: June 16, 2026, 14:22 IST The Akal Takht's decision could pose a significant challenge for the AAP ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, given the institution's influence within the Sikh community. AAP Faces Heat in Punjab as Akal Takht Declares Bhagwant Mann ‘Anti-Guru’. | File Image: Sourced The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered a major setback in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections after the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of Sikhs, declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “anti-Guru" and called on the Sikh community to ostracise him, dealing a significant blow to the ruling party a year before the polls. The decision follows a long controversy surrounding a video that allegedly showed a man resembling Mann sprinkling alcohol on images of Sikh Gurus and making objectionable remarks about Guru Ki Golak, the donation box kept in gurdwaras where devotees voluntarily contribute money. Controversy Over Viral Video The dispute dates back to earlier this year when the video surfaced and sparked criticism from sections of the Sikh community. The Akal Takht summoned Mann on January 15 and sought an explanation regarding the clip. The chief minister denied the allegations and maintained that his remarks had been taken out of context. He also claimed that the video had been generated using artificial intelligence. However, on Monday, the Akal Takht announced that forensic examinations had concluded the video was genuine. An urgent meeting of the five Singh Sahibs, the Sikh high priests, was convened following the forensic findings.
Announcing the decision, Akal Takht Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj said Mann had failed to provide evidence supporting his claim that the video was AI-generated. “We asked the chief minister about the video and he claimed it was AI-generated. We asked him to give us proof but received no response for six months. We then had the video examined by two government-recognised laboratories, which revealed that the video is neither fake nor AI-generated," Gargaj said. Akal Takht’s Verdict Following the review, the Akal Takht held Mann guilty of sacrilege. Gargaj said the Sikh community had examined the matter and reached its conclusion after considering the evidence. According to the Akal Takht, Mann had lied before the institution and was therefore being declared Guru dokhi (anti-Guru) and Khalsa panth virodhi (against the Sikh religion). “Sikhs have no expectations from the chief minister, and the panth and followers of the Guru should shun him," Gargaj said. AAP Questions Findings The AAP rejected the conclusions drawn from the forensic reports. The party argued that while the tests may have determined that the video was not artificially generated, they did not establish whether the individual seen in the footage was actually Bhagwant Mann. The controversy comes despite the party’s strong performance in Punjab’s civic elections last month. However, the Akal Takht’s decision has emerged as a fresh challenge for the ruling party ahead of next year’s Assembly polls. Political Impact Political observers say the Akal Takht’s decision could pose a significant challenge for the AAP ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, given the institution’s influence within the Sikh community.
The BriefWire