A dharna under the banner of Dharam Yudhh Morcha at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk in Samana town of Patiala district has emerged as the latest flashpoint in Punjab’s long-running political and emotional churn over sacrilege, with its timing coinciding with the April 13, 2026, special Vidhan Sabha session expected to bring a stricter law on the issue.The protest, which began on February 24 this year, is being held in support of Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who has been atop a BSNL tower in a nearby park since October 14, 2024, pressing for the same demand. The date carries deep symbolic weight in Punjab’s political memory – it was on October 14, 2015, that two villagers, Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjeet Singh, were killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkot district during protests against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. The sacrilege incident itself had first been reported on October 12, 2015, in the streets of Bargari village in Faridkot.More than a decade later, the issue continues to dominate Punjab’s political discourse, having shaped electoral narratives in 2017 and 2022, and now resurfacing sharply ahead of the 2027 polls.At Samana, however, what began as a protest over a sensitive religious issue has increasingly turned into a point of friction between protesters and residents. Since February 24, when a ‘pakka morcha’ was set up at the town’s main chowk, normal life has been significantly disrupted. Key routes remain blocked, paralysing traffic and affecting daily routines.Tensions escalated on March 16 when protesters blocked not just the main chowk but adjoining lanes for several hours, effectively confining residents to their homes. Local traders, while expressing support for stricter anti-sacrilege laws, have voiced resentment over the prolonged blockade, saying it is hurting their livelihoods.The protest has also acquired a political edge. Dharam Yudhh Morcha members staged demonstrations near a BJP rally held in March in Samana, attended by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and former Patiala MP Preneet Kaur. They also protested near the venue of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s Punjab Bachao rally in Samana, raising slogans against Sukhbir Singh Badal, holding the erstwhile SAD government responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents.Several AAP MLAs, including Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jauramajra, have visited the site, but the dharna continues unabated. On Friday, it entered its 46th day, drawing support from farmer unions and panthic organisations.Story continues below this adThe protest also witnessed a tragic turn last week when 70-year-old farmer Gobind Singh Chathha from Sangrur district suffered a heart attack at the site and died. On Thursday, MLA Jauramajra handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the deceased’s family and promised a job as per qualification, along with waiver of all institutional loans.“A dharna at Samana has added so much traction that all political parties are focusing on the sacrilege law… They may have their political interests, but we are genuinely concerned about it,” said Jagmail Singh from BKU Azad, who has been part of the protest every day since February 24.The political spotlight sharpened further after Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan visited the protest site on March 22, a day after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a special Vidhan Sabha session on April 13 to introduce a stronger law.“The Punjab government, under the leadership of CM Mann, will introduce a stronger law by amending the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008. I will bring the draft of the proposed law to the Samana Morcha on April 14 after its passage on Baisakhi, and hand over the draft to Khalsa,” Sandhwan said while addressing the gathering.Story continues below this adKhalsa, speaking over the phone from atop the tower, thanked the Punjab government for convening the session and said he would come down after the law is passed.Opposition voicesMeanwhile, Opposition parties have intensified pressure ahead of the session. On April 9, BJP Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding that the draft of the proposed law, along with the Select Committee report, be made public.He stated that sacrilege is an extremely sensitive matter and it is essential that the general public, all political parties, and religious organisations are taken into confidence. Referring to the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scriptures Bill, 2025, which was sent to a 15-member select committee led by MLA Inderjit Singh Nijjar, Jakhar said the report must be made public before deliberations.“In a responsible democratic system, it is our constitutional and moral duty to thoroughly study any such sensitive Bill before deliberation. Therefore, the complete draft of the Bill or the proposed amendments to be introduced in the Legislative Assembly on April 13, 2026, must be made available in advance,” he said.Story continues below this adThe Shiromani Akali Dal has also stepped up its attack. Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal accused both the Congress and the AAP of “doing politics on the sacrilege issue” and failing to ensure justice. Citing data of 44 convictions and 99 acquittals in 597 sacrilege cases over the past decade, he questioned the role of what he termed “self-styled leaders of the Panth”.“Where are self-styled leaders of the Panth like Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dhian Singh Mand? Why did they not visit even one of the 597 sites where sacrileges were reported? It’s obvious that they did not feel the need to visit any of these sites as their sole purpose was to defame the SAD government in 2015 by falsely accusing it of being complicit in the Bargari sacrilege case on the directions of central agencies,” he alleged.Badal further targeted Chief Minister Mann, saying, “Even though it is clear that incidents of sacrilege started in Punjab after the AAP entered the state in 2014, the chief minister claims that I am responsible for committing sacrileges. If this is so, then why does he not register a case against me?”The 15-member select committee, constituted on July 19, 2025, under the chairmanship of Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, includes 11 AAP MLAs, one each from the BJP and the SAD, and two Congress MLAs, and was tasked with submitting its report related to making a stricter sacrilege law within six months.Story continues below this adAs Punjab heads into the April 13 session, the Samana dharna has become more than a local protest – it now sits at the intersection of public sentiment, governance concerns, and a politically charged debate that continues to shape the state’s electoral narrative.