Claim
The controversial video being circulated shows the man at around age 39, whereas he is now approximately 52-53 years old, i.e. the video is roughly 13 years old.
“यह विवाद भगवत के एक युवा व्यक्ति के बारे में है। अब उनकी उम्र लगभग 52 या 53 साल है। और वीडियो उस समय का है जब वह 39 साल के थे।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The claim concerns the liquor-splash video attributed to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann (Hindi 'भगवत' ≈ Bhagwant). His current age (~52) is correct, since he was born in October 1973. However, the video's recording date is not established by any fact-checker or forensic report available as of the broadcast: it surfaced in October 2025, Mann and AAP dispute that he is even the person in it (calling it AI-generated/fake), while Akal Takht's forensics call it authentic without dating it. No independent source corroborates that the footage is ~13 years old or shows Mann at age 39, so the anchor's specific dating of the video cannot be confirmed or refuted.
Evidence
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagwant_Mann Bhagwant Mann was born 17 October 1973, making him 52 years old at the broadcast date — the 'now 52-53' portion of the claim is accurate. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.newsx.com/india/what-is-bhagwant-mann-controversy-viral-video-fake-clip-10-lakh-deal-and-two-gurugram-arrests-shock-punjab-cm-viral-video-240308/ The controversial video surfaced in October 2025 via a Canada-based NRI; coverage of the row (including Gurugram arrests over a fabricated-clip deal) establishes when it surfaced but not when it was recorded. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/forensic-tests-found-2-controversial-videos-of-cm-bhagwant-mann-authentic-claims-akal-takht-jathedar/ Akal Takht Jathedar says forensic labs found the video authentic (not AI-manipulated), but the forensic findings reported do not establish a recording date such as 2013. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/grave-conspiracy-punjab-aap-calls-bhagwant-mann-liquor-splash-video-fake-seeks-independent-probe-enn26061802803 AAP and Mann himself call the video fake/AI-generated and say the man in it is not Mann — the identity itself is contested, so no dating of 'him in the video at 39' has been verified. ✓ reachable · archived