Patiala, April 22
The Patiala administration has sought assistance from the Army to bring down Gurjit Singh Khalsa, who has been protesting from atop a 400-foot tower for over one and a half years, officials said.
The Deputy Commissioner of Patiala has written to the Chief Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Punjab, requesting support to safely bring Khalsa down from the BSNL tower located in Samana.
Khalsa had climbed the tower demanding stricter punishment under laws related to sacrilege. Recently, the Punjab government convened a special session of the Assembly and passed a bill addressing the issue, which has also received the Governor’s approval.
Following this development, the district administration has been holding a series of meetings to plan a safe operation to bring him down. Officials said multiple departments have been involved in assessing the situation and ensuring that no risk is taken during the process.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Dharam Yudh Morcha announced late Tuesday night that Khalsa has declared he will voluntarily descend from the tower on April 24 after the conclusion of Shri Akhand Path Sahib.
Despite this announcement, the administration has decided to proceed with caution and has formally sought Army assistance to avoid any untoward incident.
The situation continues to be closely monitored as authorities prepare for a safe resolution while maintaining law and order in the area.
