SAMANA — The ongoing ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’ at Samana’s Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk entered its fourth consecutive day on Friday, February 27, 2026, as farmer unions and Sikh organizations escalated their agitation by making several toll plazas across Punjab toll-free. The move, which has received unexpected support from the Toll Plaza Employees Union, is a direct attempt to pressure the Punjab Government into enacting stringent legislation against the sacrilege of religious scriptures. Protesters are demanding that the Punjab Legislative Assembly pass a law so severe that it serves as an absolute deterrent against the desecration of holy books from any faith.
The surge in regional activism is largely a show of solidarity for Gurjit Singh Khalsa, a protester who has remarkably maintained his demonstration from atop a 400-foot-high BSNL tower for 517 days. While the Malwa region saw a widespread wave of toll-free operations throughout Friday morning, the state’s response has become increasingly firm. Farmers and activists argue that the provincial government has been slow to address the deep-seated grievances surrounding religious “Be-adbi” (sacrilege), prompting them to hit the state’s revenue streams by halting toll collections.
In contrast to the successful shutdowns in Malwa, the situation in Moga turned confrontational as the Punjab Police moved to intercept protesters. Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Sidhupur were planning to make the Darapur toll plaza free of charge, but law enforcement officials carried out a preemptive strike, detaining several union leaders and farmers before they could reach the site. The detentions in Moga have further fueled the anger of the unions, who claim that the use of force will only strengthen their resolve to continue the Morcha until their legislative demands are met.
As the standoff continues, the visibility of Gurjit Singh Khalsa on his high-altitude perch remains a potent symbol for the movement. With the Toll Plaza Employees Union now joining forces with agricultural and religious groups, the disruption to Punjab’s transit network is expected to expand. For now, the provincial government faces a dual challenge: managing a growing civil disobedience movement that has paralyzed highway revenues and addressing the complex legal and emotional demands for new sacrilege laws that have been the focal point of Punjab’s political discourse for years.
