Punjab Farmers Detained in Anti-Sacrilege Protest Crackdown
Tension gripped parts of Punjab on Tuesday as police detained numerous farmers and union leaders who were en route to Samana in Patiala district to participate in a significant protest. The demonstrators were demanding the enactment of stricter anti-sacrilege legislation, a long-standing issue in the region.
Widespread Preventive Detentions Across Districts
According to farmers' accounts, preventive detentions were carried out at multiple strategic locations, including the Dharedi Jatta toll plaza in Patiala and Bhawanigarh in Sangrur district. Gurdeep Singh Chahal, press secretary of BKU (Ekta-Sidhupur), detailed that activists from Sangrur, Faridkot, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Mohali were either picked up from their homes or detained while traveling to the protest site.
In Sangrur district alone, more than 100 leaders and members affiliated with BKU Sidhupur and allied organizations were reportedly held at various checkpoints, such as Bhawanigarh and Sullar Gharat. This coordinated police action aimed to preempt the planned gathering, which had been called by Beadabi Morcha coordinator Gurpreet Singh to mobilize support for the agitation led by Gurjeet Singh Khalsa.
Protest Dynamics and Police Response
A minor scuffle erupted in Samana when some protesters attempted to block a main road, prompting immediate police intervention. Despite this, the protesters managed to hold a sit-in at Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Chowk, demonstrating their resolve. Patiala SSP Varun Sharma acknowledged that protesters turned violent but emphasized that police did not resort to lathi charge.
"We detained some protesters but no lathicharge was done on any protestor. Negotiations with the protestors are going on," Sharma stated. Sangrur SSP SS Chahal confirmed the detention of over 100 farmers, highlighting the scale of the police operation.
Background of the Protest and Demands
The protest gathering was organized in support of Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, a 43-year-old resident of Kheri Nagaian village, who has been staging a protest atop a nearly 400-foot BSNL tower in Samana since October 12, 2024. Khalsa is demanding the enactment of stringent laws to prevent sacrilege of holy scriptures across all faiths, arguing that existing legal provisions are insufficient.
Farmer leaders have expressed frustration with the lack of progress, warning of intensified actions, including gherao of police stations, if their demands are not met. The Sarv Dharam Beadabi Rokko Kanoon Morcha, spearheaded by Khalsa, held discussions last year with senior state leaders, including Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier, in June last year, expressed intent to bring a bill addressing sacrilege concerns, but concrete legislative action remains pending. This ongoing agitation underscores the deep-seated issues surrounding religious sensitivity and legal frameworks in Punjab, with farmers and activists pushing for more robust protections against sacrilege incidents.
