The Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, on Monday declared Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann a “Guru Dokhi” or betrayer of the Guru and “Khalsa Panth Virodhi” or opponent of the Sikh community, after concluding that two controversial videos linked to him were not generated using artificial intelligence, The Hindu reported on Tuesday.

The decision was announced by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj after a meeting of the five Sikh high priests in Amritsar.

The Akal Takht said forensic examinations conducted by two laboratories found that the videos circulating on social media had “not been tampered with” and were not AI-generated, The Indian Express reported.

“Ultimately, the conclusion from both labs is that this video is authentic,” Gargajj said, adding that the laboratories were government-recognised and experienced forensic units.

He further said that the video appeared “entirely natural, just like sitting in a natural environment where shadows fall”.

Gargajj said the Akal Takht secretariat had written to Mann in January after he publicly stated that he was willing to undergo a forensic examination of the video, but had received no response since then, PTI reported.

He said the secretariat subsequently arranged for the video to be examined by the two forensic laboratories.

“A position of chief minister is respectable,” the jathedar said. “But chief minister Bhagwant Singh lied at the Akal Takht.”

The controversy dates back to January, when Mann was summoned by the Akal Takht over remarks relating to Guru Ki Golak, or donation boxes in gurudwaras, and for indulging in “objectionable activities” with the pictures of the “Sikh Gurus” and separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in some video clips, PTI reported.

One of the videos allegedly showed Mann sprinkling alcohol on a symbolic image of the ten Sikh Gurus and on a photograph of Bhindranwale, The New Indian Express quoted Gargajj as saying.

The Akal Takht also took exception to Mann’s reported remark that people steal money from gurdwara donation boxes, PTC news reported.

On January 15, Mann told the body that the videos shared on social media were fake and AI-generated, and stated that the Sikh clergy could have them examined by any forensic laboratory in the country.

Shortly before the Akal Takht's announcement on Monday, Aam Aadmi Party Punjab media in-charge Baltej Singh Pannu questioned the conclusions being drawn from the forensic reports.

“While the forensic report may state that the video itself is authentic, it does not establish who the individual in the video is,” The Indian Express quoted Pannu as saying. “Therefore, declaring someone guilty on that basis raises serious questions.”

Pannu also accused the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Badal family of politicising Sikh institutions in the state, the newspaper reported.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.