After the return of four Nihang Sikhs who were out on bail in the Karanprayag clash case, a scuffle broke out between two groups of Nihang Sikhs inside the Darbar hall of Gurdwara Singh Shahidan in Mohali’s Sohana area, police said on Sunday.
Following reports of the clash, a police team from Sohana Police Station was immediately dispatched to the spot on Sunday to control the situation. However, officials clarified that no complaints have been received regarding the incident and they will take action in accordance with the law.
The incident reportedly occurred while the groups were celebrating the return of the four Sikhs from Nihang who were released on bail and were being brought back to Mohali.
Speaking about the incident, Harsimrat Singh Shehtra, DSP Mohali, said that although the situation has been neutralized, the police are waiting for a formal complaint to initiate further legal action.
“A news report has surfaced showing an altercation between individuals at the Durbar Hall of Gurdwara Singh Shahidan. In response, a police team immediately reached the spot. The situation is currently completely peaceful and the police team is in touch with the Gurdwara administration,” the DSP said in a video statement on Sunday.
He also added, “So far, the police have not received any complaint from anyone; however, if a complaint is received, action will be taken as per the law.” Harjinder Singh Bhadwan, president of Gurudwara Sohana Sahib, attributed the incident to pre-existing internal disputes between the groups involved.
“There were pre-existing internal disputes among the Sikhs of Nihang who left here. They had clashed in the past as well, but here, the conflict was open,” Bidwan told ANI.
This comes days after the Karnaprayag clash, where a group of Sikh Nihang allegedly broke through police barricades at Kolhal check post on the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border and entered Uttarakhand late on Thursday night after a dispute with residents at Karnaprayag in Chamoli district.
According to officials, the police and district administration stopped around 200 Nihang Sikhs who were traveling from Chandigarh towards Uttarakhand via Himachal Pradesh at Kolhal check post after erecting barricades to prevent them from entering. A nearly two-hour long meeting between the administration, police officials and representatives of Nihang Sikhs at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara failed.
While a section of the group agreed to return, between 20 and 30 Nihang Sikhs reportedly crossed the Kolhal Bridge and reached the checkpoint, where they were stopped by security personnel. The prolonged standoff continued for several hours before the group broke through the barricades and headed towards the Dehradun-Baunta Expressway.
Some members of the group were seen carrying swords and waving them as they moved towards Dharmwala, prompting the administration to deploy large numbers of police and security personnel, including ITBP troops, along the route, officials said.
After the group entered Uttarakhand, additional police forces were sent from different parts of Dehradun district to enhance security. The Nihang Sikhs remained firm on their demand to proceed towards Hemkund Sahib. (that I)
