Activist Gurjeet Khalsa brought down from BSNL tower in Patiala after 18 months; says ‘we have won’
Samana (Patiala) (PTI): Activist Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who had been sitting atop a 400-foot BSNL tower for about 560 days demanding stricter laws against sacrilege incidents in Punjab, was finally brought down on Friday morning, officials said.
The development brought to an end a dramatic protest that began when Khalsa (43) climbed atop the tower in Samana near Patiala on October 12, 2024, demanding stringent punishment for the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.
He was brought down by a team comprising firemen, police and civil officials with the help of a specialised crane-lift, a fire official from Patiala said.
After he descended amid 'Sikh Jaikara’ and 'Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal’ chants, Khalsa was taken to a hospital in an ambulance for a medical checkup, with his supporters showering flower petals on him.
“We have won,” the activist from Kheri Nagaian village in Patiala district said as he stepped onto the ground.
“By the Guru's grace, I have come down safely after 18 months and 12 days. I thank the Punjab government,” Khalsa said, expressing his gratitude to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan for enacting an anti-sacrilege law.
Khalsa also thanked the local administration for bringing him down safely.
The activist decided to end his protest after the Punjab government recently notified the anti-sacrilege law – the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026 – which proposes stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 25 lakh, for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.
The protest drew attention across Punjab due to its unique nature and the extreme conditions endured by Khalsa, who remained atop the tower through harsh winter and scorching summer months.
He was sent essential supplies via ropes.
He stayed in a makeshift tarpaulin shelter atop the tower, using a polythene bag to relieve himself.
Harinderpal Singh, an assistant fire officer in Patiala, said, “We conducted the operation with the help of the district administration and police. Firemen, a sub-officer and two station officers were involved in it.
“As we had to reach a considerable height to bring him down, we used chains and links, a safety belt and a turntable ladder.”
As Khalsa was brought down using a safety belt, a fireman was stationed below to ensure his safety.
“First, he was brought down to a platform built above the ground level, after which we used the turntable ladder to get him down,” the fire officer said.
A farmer by profession, Khalsa's core demand was the introduction of stricter legal provisions against the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, proposes stricter punishments to deter incidents of 'beadbi' (sacrilege) and uphold the sanctity of the Guru Granth Sahib.
According to the law, any person who commits sacrilege shall get a minimum of seven years’ imprisonment, extendable to up to 20 years, along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
Any person who, in a criminal conspiracy, commits sacrilege with the intention of disrupting peace or communal harmony shall get a minimum 10-year sentence, extendable to up to life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh, which may go up to Rs 25 lakh, the law says.
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Oppn parties move fresh notice in Rajya Sabha seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi (PTI): Opposition parties on Friday submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, sources said. The fresh charges against the CEC include "continued partisan asymmetry in the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct".
The opposition has accused the poll panel of not acting on complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "address to the nation" on April 18, ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Referring to concerns raised by various opposition parties, the notice said, "As on the date of this notice, Gyanesh Kumar has issued no show-cause notice, no advisory, and no public response to any of the said complaints."
According to sources, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and TMC leader Sagarika Ghose submitted the notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General.
The notice was signed by 73 Rajya Sabha MPs, while the requirement is 50 signatures.
Members of opposition parties such as the Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD, IUML and "like -minded" parties have signed the notice, sources said.
The move comes days after similar notices submitted by opposition MPs in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were rejected by the respective presiding officers. It was the first time that a notice seeking the removal of a CEC was submitted in Parliament.
In its earlier notices, the opposition had accused CEC Kumar of "failure to maintain independence and constitutional fidelity" and of acting under the "thumb of the executive".
However, in almost similar responses, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan had rejected the notices, holding that even if the allegations were assumed to be true, they did not meet the high constitutional threshold of "misbehaviour" required for his removal.
