On April 14, Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had presented a copy of the sacrilege Bill to members of Dharam Yudhh Morcha at Samana. (File photo)A more than 18-month-long protest demanding a stricter law against sacrilege incidents in Punjab will end on Friday, April 24, when Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, a 43-year-old farmer from Kheri Nagaiyan village, descends from a 400-foot-high BSNL tower in Patiala district. The day will mark the 560th day of his protest.Khalsa’s supporters, under the banner of Dharam Yudhh Morcha, will also call off their dharna at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk. While Khalsa had climbed the tower on October 12, 2024, the Dharam Yudh Morcha has been staging a protest since February 24 this year.Following the passage of the sacrilege Bill during a special Assembly session on April 13, the governor’s assent on April 17, and its notification on April 20, the administration had stepped up efforts to bring Khalsa down safely.Also Read | From farmer to filmmaker: 6 voices behind Dharam Yudhh Morcha demanding strict sacrilege law in PunjabGurpreet Singh, coordinator of the Dharam Yudh Morcha, said the administration had suggested that Khalsa be brought down to around 100 feet, from where a 300-foot crane could be used to assist his descent. However, the proposal was rejected as it involved lowering him by rope over a long distance.As the administration explored seeking help from the National Disaster Response Force or the Army, Khalsa said on Tuesday evening that he would descend on his own, Singh said. In a voice message sent to six members of the Dharam Yudhh Morcha coordination committee on WhatsApp, Khalsa purportedly said that just as he had climbed the tower on his own, he would descend in the same manner, chanting ‘Waheguru’. “I am in chardi kala (high spirits),” he purportedly said.Khalsa said he would come down on April 24, coinciding with the bhog (concluding ritual) ceremony of the akhand path (continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib) being held at Singh Sweets, near the protest site, where owner Bikramjeet Singh has been providing voluntary service to protesters since the sit-in demonstration began. He also cited the ongoing harvesting season, noting that trucks loaded with wheat grain would need to pass through the route, and stressed the need to clear the chowk.Morcha members confirmed that the dharna at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk will be lifted on April 24, bringing the agitation to a close.Story continues below this adKhushinder Singh Jand Sahib, one of the committee members of the Dharam Yudh Morcha, said, “The Patiala civil and police administration had been seeking a consent letter from Khalsa ji stating that in case of any security lapse, he himself would be responsible for the consequences. In view of these delays by the Punjab government, he decided to come down on his own.”