Willing to take Opposition along for Governor’s nod on anti-sacrilege Bill: Punjab Speaker

Despite appeals by Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, 43-year-old Gurjeet Singh Khalsa refused to climb down from the 400-foot BSNL tower in Samana.

Even as Sandhwan assured him that the Punjab Government was ready to approach the Governor, along with the Opposition, to get approval for the anti-sacrilege Bill, Khalsa refused to oblige and remained adamant to end his stir “only after the Bill was implemented”.

Sandhwan visited Samana on Tuesday and handed over a copy of the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to the agitating Samana Tower Morcha members.

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Though the gathering welcomed the passage of the Bill and termed it ‘commendable’, they said that they would continue the agitation until Khalsa ended his protest atop the BSNL tower. He has been protesting atop the 400-foot BSNL tower since October 12, 2024, demanding a stringent anti-sacrilege law.

Sandhwan told the gathering that “in line with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s statement”, the government was ready to approach the Governor collectively, “along with all Opposition parties to ensure expeditious approval of the Bill”, with no delay at the official level. “We are willing to do everything for a speedy approval of the Bill,” he added.

The Speaker said he had come as per his “assurance to present the copy of the Bill to Khalsa” and the Sangat, urging Khalsa to come down from the tower “in the larger public interest”.

Giving credit for the anti-sacrilege Bill to the protesters, Sandhwan said the CM had honoured his commitment by getting the Bill passed in the Vidhan Sabha. “The government will continue its efforts until the Bill receives the Governor’s assent and is enacted as law,” he stated.

The Speaker said there should be no doubt regarding the Governor’s approval, adding that the Bill had been thoroughly drafted without any shortcomings and was even more stringent than the sangat’s expectations.

Sandhwan said while previous governments had introduced laws on the issue, those contained political shortcomings, whereas the present legislation has been framed with utmost care, leaving no scope for error. He added that although anti-sacrilege laws existed earlier, the new Bill was significantly more stringent and should not be politicised.

Meanwhile, Khalsa asserted that he would not come down from the tower, till the Act comes into effect.