Anti-Sacrilege Bill triggers sharp political face-off in Punjab Assembly session; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, April 13, 2026: The special session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling and opposition benches during the debate on an important anti-sacrilege bill aimed at preventing incidents of religious desecration and ensuring strict punishment for offenders.
Although the bill was introduced and later received unanimous support from all political parties, the discussion around it triggered sharp political confrontation inside the House.
The session began on a solemn note, with Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan paying tributes to departed souls before formally presenting the anti-sacrilege legislation to the House.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa extended conditional support to the bill, stating that if the government’s intentions are clear, the opposition stands with the legislation. However, he raised several pointed questions, including the status of departmental action against officials allegedly linked to the Bargari and Kotkapura firing incidents.
Bajwa also questioned whether the bill might face delays at the central level or require Presidential assent, and whether constitutional experts had been consulted before drafting it. He further sought clarity on the future of nearly 550 pending sacrilege-related cases.
Responding to the opposition, the ruling party asserted that its government had taken unprecedented steps in addressing sacrilege cases over the past decade.
It claimed that chargesheets had been filed against several senior figures, including former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, and multiple senior IPS officers, who are currently facing legal proceedings.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also raised the 1986 Nakodar incident, accusing previous governments of suppressing inquiry reports for decades. Legislator Inderjit Kaur Mann emotionally referred to past incidents, alleging that victims were cremated without family consent, further intensifying the debate.