AI video showing CM Mann being slapped sparks political row; BJP post draws sharp response; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 30, 2026: An AI-generated video depicting Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann being slapped inside a government school has triggered a political controversy, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of promoting an “anti-Punjab” and hateful mindset.
The video, shared by the BJP Punjab unit on Saturday, portrays Mann being confronted by a parent over alleged incorrect information being taught to students. It has since generated a flurry of reactions on social media.
The clip shows a teacher writing incorrect spellings of words including “vegetables” and “deer” on a classroom board. Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal are then shown observing the classroom.
A man portrayed as a student’s parent subsequently enters the classroom and examines a child’s notebook. After noticing the alleged mistakes, he becomes angry and the video depicts him slapping Mann.
The man is then shown questioning the Chief Minister over who would be responsible if a child was taught incorrectly and subsequently made mistakes in examinations.
Sharing the video, BJP Punjab wrote in Punjabi: “Bhagwant Mann ji, when a mistake gets written into a child’s mind, who will erase its harm?”
AAP Accuses BJP of Insulting Punjabis and Sikhs
The post drew a strong response from AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, who accused the BJP of displaying an “anti-Punjab” and hateful mindset.
Kakkar alleged that the video was objectionable and offensive towards Punjabis and Sikhs and demanded an apology from BJP leaders.
She also linked the controversy to a separate political dispute involving BJP leaders’ tribute to former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, questioning what she described as the party’s contradictory positions.
The controversy has also prompted political commentary from social-media users.
A social media user claimed that he had spoken to a friend in Punjab who was traditionally a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) voter. According to Bhardwaj, his friend felt that political differences notwithstanding, many Punjabis would object to seeing a turbaned man being shown slapped, particularly when the person depicted is the Chief Minister.
He further claimed that there was “a lot of anger in Punjab” over the video.
However, the comments represent an individual account and social-media assessment and cannot independently establish the wider public mood in Punjab.
Other users also expressed sharply different opinions, with some criticising the BJP for circulating an AI-generated depiction of a Chief Minister being assaulted, while others defended it as political satire and pointed to offensive or manipulated content targeting leaders of other parties.
The controversy comes amid the growing use of AI-generated videos and digitally manipulated content in Punjab’s political discourse ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Political parties and their supporters have increasingly used digitally created material to attack opponents, raise political issues and shape narratives on social media.