Akal Takht declares Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann anti-Guru

In a major religious and political development, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of Sikhs, has declared Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann "anti-Guru" and directed the Sikh community to sever ties with him. The edict, announced on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Amritsar, follows a forensic investigation into a controversial video and sets the stage for a significant confrontation between the state government and Sikh religious institutions.

Acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj stated that the decision was made by the council of five Sikh high priests after two government-recognized forensic laboratories concluded a video circulating online was authentic and not generated or manipulated by artificial intelligence. The video, which surfaced online in late 2025, allegedly shows a man resembling Mann sprinkling alcohol on symbolic images of the ten Sikh Gurus and on a photograph of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

The chief minister was first summoned to the Akal Takht secretariat on January 15, 2026, to address the video and remarks concerning Guru Ki Golak, or gurdwara donation boxes. At that time, Mann maintained the video was a fake created using AI and...