CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed on Thursday that a prosthetic mask and sunglasses were used to hide the real identity of the actor who played his role in the controversial video linked to him. Earlier, he had contended that it was an AI-generated video.
Playing out the purported video at a press conference, Mann alleged that the conspiracy was the handiwork of Canada-based “blackmailer” Jagman Samra. He said, “The actor is wearing a prosthetic mask. The scar on my throat is missing in the video and his physical features do not match mine. The actor has deliberately used sunglasses to hide his eyes as it exposes his real identity.’’
Mann said the video was filmed in a hotel in Canada, which he had not visited since 2016. He added that Samra has also made a mask of Arvind Kejriwal. “The mask was specially manufactured and delivered. On the day it was delivered, Canada-based blackmailer Jagman Samra recorded a video inside his car after placing the mask over his hand. He also clicked photographs showing the mask and explained how it fits over another person’s face,’’ he claimed.
The Shiromani Akali Dal alleged that Mann has again resorted to forgery by cloning the account of Samra and inserting a fake video in it to give himself a clean chit. SAD leader Parambans Singh Romana said, “The original account of Samra does not have this video which proves that the CM has committed another sin by taking the support of a fake video to refute the supreme religio-temporal seat of the Sikh community.’’
The Congress rejected Mann’s defence, saying it is a “lame afterthought aimed at defending the indefensible.” State Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said “I won’t be surprised if Mann comes with some other lame defence tomorrow”.
Meanwhile, the Akal Takht has asked Sikh MLAs to appear before it on June 29 in connection with anti-sacrilege law.
