Traders fume as Dharam Yudh Morcha for anti-sacrilege law blocks roads in Patiala ahead of Navratri

Echoing similar concerns, another trader, Gaurav Gogia, said, “As Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Chowk has been blocked, no bus enters our town, and commuters have to go to the bypass to take a bus. Krishna Market, adjoining the bus stand, has about 300 shops. This market caters to nearly 80 villages, but now customers are going to nearby markets in Cheeka in Haryana, Ghagga, and Patran in Patiala. We are sitting idle. Navratri is going to start from Thursday, but our markets are suffering badly in sales.”

The town’s strategic location near the Haryana border has worsened the situation, forcing road users to take long detours through villages. Residents said even schoolchildren were facing hardships. “To cover a distance of 200 m, they need to travel 5-10 km to reach the main road,” Mittal added.

Trader bodies have also come out in support of the affected shopkeepers.

Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal president Amit Kapoor said, “We have no difference with the demands of the Dharam Yudh Morcha. But one shouldn’t trouble the common man. They should take political leaders to task. We are surprised that this issue never came up in the Vidhan Sabha. MLAs of the ruling as well as rival parties raised non-issues. It was pathetic to watch debates on frivolous issues but not on important ones.”

Traders allege that the protest is gradually taking a different turn. “The dharna started with a demand for stringent laws for sacrilege incidents, but we often hear pro-Khalistan slogans as well from the dharna site. The administration is just acting as a mute spectator,” Mittal said.

The agitation was earlier known as the Tower Morcha, as it is linked to Gurjeet Singh Khalsa, who has been sitting atop a 400-ft BSNL tower since October 2024, vowing not to come down until an anti-sacrilege law is enacted. It was formally renamed the Dharam Yudh Morcha on February 24.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Sidhupur, BKU Azad, and several Sikh organisations support the agitation.

Responding to the concerns, BKU Sidhupur general secretary Kaka Singh Kotra said, “We are fighting for all religions. The shopkeepers should rather support us. This is how the Punjab Government creates differences between communities. We are surprised that AAP or Opposition MLAs have not raised this issue in the Vidhan Sabha.”

Varun Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, said that officials were trying to resolve the problem through dialogue.

Meanwhile, trader organisations have started getting support from Beopar Mandal units in other districts.

Report on anti-sacrilege Bill delayed

The controversy has also reignited debate over the state’s political class. While the Government introduced an anti-sacrilege Bill in July 2025 and formed a 15-member committee to submit a report within six months, the delay has drawn criticism from both protesters and the public. The committee has 11 AAP MLAs, two Congress MLAs, and one MLA each of the BJP and SAD.

Traders argue that repeated road blockades and prolonged dharnas are sending a negative message about Punjab’s governance and investment climate.

“We are witnessing a situation identical to the Khanauri border dharna, which was held from February 13, 2024, to March 19, 2025, a few kilometres away on Patiala-Sangrur-Jind borders seeking legally guaranteed minimum support prices for crops. Now another pakka morcha has come up in Samana close to the Punjab-Haryana border. This is not how a state functions. On the one hand, we are organising Invest Punjab and have dharnas on roads, on the other hand. How will anyone come to invest in Punjab?” a Beopar Mandal member said.

As the standoff continues, the situation in Samana reflects a larger challenge—balancing the right to protest with the need to ensure public order and economic stability.

Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jauramajra of the AAP, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and a few other politicians have visited the dharna.