More than 150 Nihangs are camping at Paonta Sahib gurdwara in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, awaiting the release of four members of their sect who were arrested in Uttarakhand after a clash with locals. The Nihang groups held discussions to chart their future course of action and declared they would not return to Punjab until the four arrested members are released, sources said on Saturday.
Standoff at Himachal-Uttarakhand Border
A Nihang jatha on Thursday tried to force entry into Uttarakhand through Dehradun, which is only a few kilometers away. They also clashed with police who were present in heavy numbers to prevent their entry. The standoff between the Nihangs and the Dehradun administration at the Himachal-Uttarakhand border ended on Friday after the Nihangs postponed their march to Uttarakhand for two days.
Jagdeep Singh Akali, who is leading the Nihang jatha, told the media on Friday that the Uttarakhand administration sought two days to “fulfil their demands,” so the plan for a protest march in Uttarakhand has been suspended for the next two days. However, he warned that they would resume their agitation if the arrested Nihangs were not released.
Background of the Karnaprayag Clash
On June 16, a dispute between residents and a group of Nihangs escalated into violence in Karnaprayag market in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, injuring a few locals and one Nihang. Following the incident, the police registered a case and arrested four Nihangs. The Nihang jatha clashed with the police on Thursday evening and pushed through security barricades to march towards Hemkund Sahib, a Sikh pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand.
After meeting the police, the group, which had gathered in Dehradun, left escorted by the police and took shelter in Paonta Sahib gurdwara, a few kilometers from the interstate border. Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal said that a few people had crossed the checkpoint at the border, and one or two vehicles had crossed, but they agreed to return after discussions.
Related Incident at Nagarasu Gurdwara
In another related incident, around half a dozen Nihangs climbed onto the roof of the Nagarasu Gurdwara on the Badrinath Highway on June 20 and took an elderly man hostage, demanding the release of those arrested in the Karnaprayag clash. The shrine was vacated on June 23 after discussions between the local administration, gurdwara management, and sect members visiting from Punjab.
