Nihang Sikhs Standoff at Uttarakhand Gurdwara Enters Third Day

DEHRADUN: A tense standoff with Nihang Sikhs at a gurdwara at Nagrasu in Rudraprayag district entered the third day on Monday with at least four of them still locked inside the premises with spears and swords, purportedly demanding the immediate release of four Nihangs arrested for their involvement in a clash with locals over an alleged parking dispute in Karnaprayag on June 16.

Amid the standoff, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann spoke to his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone, during which he urged the latter to resolve the matter amicably through negotiations. He also offered all possible support from the Punjab govt, if needed.

A heavy police force along with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel was stationed near the site as talks with the local administration continued through the day. A senior officer said Uttarakhand’s DIG (law and order) has been tasked to monitor the probe in both the incidents -- in Nagrasu and Karnaprayag.

According to police, the visiting Nihangs -- initially at least seven -- locked themselves inside the gurdwara and took two men including a ‘sevadar’ (volunteer) hostage allegedly after a row with the gurdwara management committee during ‘langar’ (community food) on Saturday evening. Till late on Monday, three of the seven Nihangs had left the premises.

Nagrasu -- a tiny town -- is situated around 15 km from Karnaprayag town in Chamoli district and is nearly 200 km from Dehradun.

“Following intense negotiations between Nihangs and local officials, including the DM and SP, one hostage was released Saturday while the ‘sevadar’ was freed Sunday night. At the moment, four of them are still inside. They have no issues with police or local residents as wrongly claimed by a large section of social media,” inspector general (Garhwal range), Rajeev Swaroop, told TOI.

He also denied any links with the recent Karnaprayag clash. “Many are trying to connect this incident with what happened in Karnaprayag. Two FIRs were registered in that incident, including one against unidentified persons for attacking a Sikh pilgrim. The other one was against the Nihangs in which four members were arrested as per the law. But the two are unrelated. Dispute in Nagrasu started over an internal matter. ”

“Police had reached the gurdwara after an emergency call on ‘112’. They were there only to enquire, and not to carry out any arrests,” Swaroop alleged. He added the probe of the Karnaprayag incident has been transferred from Chamoli district police to Haridwar police unit to ensure transparency.

Meanwhile, president of Bhartiya Sikh Sangathan (Uttarakhand), Salvinder Singh Kalsi, while citing his telephonic conversation with the Nagrasu gurdwara management committee, claimed that the dispute “happened over the accommodation facility in the gurdwara”.

“The visiting Nihang Sikhs, heading towards Hemkund Sahib, had demanded more rooms. The management couldn’t provide them. It enraged them, and they locked themselves inside the premises and later went to the roof with their demands for the release of the fellow Nihangs held in the Karnaprayag incident... We urge the local administration to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner,” added Kalsi.