The long-running ‘Dharm Yudh Morcha’ protest in Samana has finally come to an end after nearly 18 months as protester Gurjit Singh Khalsa safely descended from a 400-foot-high tower on Friday.
Khalsa a 43-year-old farmer from Kheri Nagaiyan village in Patiala had been sitting atop a BSNL tower for around 560 days and he was demanding a strict law against sacrilege and the protest concluded after the Punjab government passed the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act 2026 addressing the key demand raised during the agitation.
Khalsa was brought down safely through a joint effort by the district administration, Punjab Police, fire brigade and with support from the Army and officials said the rescue operation lasted around 30 minutes on Friday morning though preparations and coordination had been going on throughout the night.
A high-tech crane was used to reach Khalsa who was sitting at a height of around 275 feet on the tower and along with favourable weather conditions including low wind speed and clear sunlight helped the team carry out the operation smoothly.
The development came after Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria approved the amendment bill related to the sacrilege law paving the way for its implementation and Khalsa had earlier agreed to come down after the law was cleared following this at the protest site near Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk in Saman supporters organised an Akhand Path and the protest officially ended after the bhog ceremony on Friday.
After coming down Khalsa said he was in “Chardi Kala” (high spirits) and thanked the Punjab government and people who supported his cause and said that the journey was not easy but his faith kept him going.
During the protest Khalsa lived in a temporary tarpaulin shelter on top of the tower where food and water were supplied once a day by helpers but due to limited movement and tough conditions his blood pressure and sugar levels fluctuated at times.
A dairy owner and farmer by profession Khalsa said he started the protest in 2024 after being deeply hurt by incidents of sacrilege and had handed over family and business responsibilities to his brother before beginning the agitation.
Baltej Pannu General Secretary and Media In-charge of AAP Punjab said that the safe rescue was possible due to close coordination between the Patiala district administration, police and fire brigade and added that senior officials including the Deputy Commissioner and SSP remained present and actively involved throughout the operation.
With Khalsa’s descent and the new law in place the ‘Dharm Yudh Morcha’ has now formally concluded.
