Nihang Sikhs End Standoff at Uttarakhand Gurdwara After Hostage Release

Rudraprayag: 'Nihangs' stand on the roof of a gurdwara to demand the release of four members of the Sikh sect who were arrested following a clash in Chamoli district, in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. (PTI Photo)

DEHRADUN: A tense standoff in Rudraprayag district ended peacefully on Sunday evening after armed Nihang Sikhs released a gurdwara sevadar (volunteer) following hours of intense negotiations with the district administration. The crisis began on Saturday at a gurdwara in Nagrasu town—about 200 km from Dehradun—when a group of around eight Nihang Sikhs, en route to Karnaprayag, took a devotee and a sevadar hostage. Armed with sharp weapons, the group barricaded themselves on the third floor of the shrine. They initially demanded the release of four fellow Nihangs who had been arrested days earlier following a clash with locals over a parking issue in Karnaprayag. A heavy deployment of police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel surrounded the shrine over the weekend to maintain law and order. “Senior administration officials, including the SP and DM, held extensive negotiations to break the deadlock. While the devotee was freed on Saturday, the sevadar was safely released late Sunday evening,” a police officer said. Garhwal IG Rajeev Swaroop said the standoff was triggered by an internal dispute. “The incident happened following a clash between the Nihangs and members of the gurdwara management committee during langar (community kitchen) on Saturday,” Swaroop said. “Both hostages have been safely released. The Nihangs’ dispute was strictly with the management committee, not with local residents or the police. The situation is completely under control, and we urge the public not to spread misinformation on social media,” the IG said.