Oppn trying to defame me, says CM Mann

Amid the video row, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday rejected allegations that the forensic report that gave a clean chit to him was fabricated and lashed out at the opposition parties, alleging that they have joined hands to defame him. Mann’s remarks came a day after the Haryana Police arrested two men on a complaint regarding alleged procurement of a fabricated forensic report related to a viral video linked to the controversy involving him.

In a video message, the AAP leader said for the past several days, his fake videos were being released. “When they could not find anything, they are trying to defame me on the religious front,” he said, targeting the Congress, BJP and the Akali Dal. He reiterated his stance that it was not him in the purported objectionable video, claiming that the person who is seen in the clip does not match his height and physique. “By making that video viral, I was declared guilty,” he said. Mann said he received calls from many people who are convinced that it was a fake video. The CM claimed the forensic examination of the purported video had been done. “The BJP has now attacked the owners of these forensic labs as Akali, Congress and the BJP have joined hands,” he said while referring to the Gurugram police action.

“By scaring the lab owners with the registration of FIR and torturing or threatening them, they want to get a statement from them to claim that money was taken for preparing fabricated reports,” claimed Mann. He alleged that the Congress, Akalis and the BJP have come together with a sole motive of defaming him. “Neither they are able to show their faces socially nor politically in Punjab. They have now decided to defame me on religious grounds,” he said, claiming that every day, his fake videos were being released on their social media handles.