The confrontation between the police and the Nihang Sikh group continued for hours and ended in the early hours of Friday after negotiations with the authorities.
Tensions escalated near the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border after a group of sword-wielding Nihangs tried to break the barricade in Kolhal area of Dehradun district late on Thursday evening. The confrontation between the police and the Nihang Sikh group continued for hours and ended in the early hours of Friday after negotiations with the authorities.
The group was trying to travel to Sri Hemkunt Sahib in Uttarakhand from Himachal Pradesh to demand the release of four Sikhs from Nihang who were arrested after a dispute with locals in Chamoli district.
The confrontation between Nihang and Sikh police continued for hours
In anticipation of violence erupting after a group of Nihang Sikhs – Sikhs who adhere to the traditional warrior order – entered Himachal Pradesh, security agencies have been put on high alert at the Uttarakhand border.
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Security arrangements have been particularly beefed up at Vikasnagar in Dehradun.
According to police, there were reports that a group of Nihang Sikhs was expected to arrive in Uttarakhand on June 25.
The group was planning to demand the release of the four Sikhs who were arrested over a dispute with local residents. It is learned that they are also scheduled to travel to gurdwaras in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts to assess the prevailing arrangements and conditions.
According to officials, the Nihang family canceled their planned protest march in Uttarakhand after meeting police and district administration authorities, and the group, which had gathered at the Gurdwara Race Course in Dehradun, left the premises around 3.30 am in two cars under police escort for their safe passage across the state border. Paonta Sahib Gurdwara in Himachal is just a few kilometers away.
What is the cause of the dispute?
The dispute began on June 16 over a parking issue outside a hotel near a taxi stand at Karnaprayag in Chamoli district. Things escalated into violence when some Nihang Sikhs allegedly attacked local residents with swords. Five people, including a pilgrim, were injured in the accident.
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One of the injured was airlifted to a private hospital in Dehradun for treatment. The incident angered residents and hotel owners who then blocked the Rishikesh-Badrinath Expressway for about four hours. Police later arrested four accused Nihang Sikhs in connection with the incident.
On June 20, nearly six people from Nihang climbed onto the roof of the Nagarasu Gurdwara on the Badrinath Expressway, allegedly blocking access to the roof while demanding the release of those detained in the Karnaprayag clash.
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The shrine was safely evacuated on Tuesday after successful discussions between the local administration, the gurdwara administration and visiting members of the sect from Punjab.
On Wednesday, a five-member delegation of Sikh Nihang met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his official residence and later called the Director General of Police (DGP) at the police headquarters here to demand a speedy probe into the Karanprayag incident.
