Samra at Centre of Political Storm Over Viral Video
Canada-based non-resident Indian (NRI) Jagmandeep Singh, alias Jagman Samra, has become the focal point of a political storm after the Gurugram police registered an FIR over alleged tailoring of a report in connection with a controversial viral video involving Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Samra had circulated an objectionable video on social media in October 2025 that opposition parties and religious bodies claimed showed the CM committing sacrilege and disrespecting Sikh imagery.
CM Mann Alleges Prosthetic Mask Used to Impersonate Him
On June 26, 2026, CM Mann claimed that an individual had worn a prosthetic mask and posed as him to mislead the public. He played a video clip allegedly showing Samra holding a prosthetic mask. The CM blamed Samra for orchestrating the video to damage his reputation.
Samra's History of Legal Troubles
Samra, who hails from Phaguwala village in Sangrur, is no stranger to controversy. On October 23, 2025, the cyber cell of Mohali booked Samra for posting “AI-generated vulgar content” of the CM on his Facebook account. Earlier, he was lodged in Faridkot Central Jail in a Rs 65-lakh cheating and criminal conspiracy case registered against him in Ferozepur on November 28, 2020. He was admitted to the orthopaedics ward of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, on December 23, 2021.
Dramatic Escape from Hospital in 2022
On February 1, 2022, just two months before the Punjab assembly elections, Samra managed to escape from judicial custody by deceiving and misleading jail guards. After absconding from the hospital, he illegally slipped out of the country and landed in Canada. Subsequently, a separate FIR related to the escape was filed against Samra and four jail warders.
Ongoing Cases and Political Fallout
The Ludhiana police had on October 24, 2025, charged Samra and his son with cheating, criminal conspiracy, and forgery. The latest FIR by Gurugram police adds to Samra's legal woes. Opposition parties have demanded a thorough investigation into the viral video, while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party has accused them of conspiring with Samra to defame the CM.
