Nihang-Police Standoff in Uttarakhand Ends: Why They Want to March to Hemkund Sahib, What Erupted Tensions

A group of Nihang Sikhs recently called off a planned protest march in Uttarakhand after negotiations with authorities regarding the release of arrested members involved in a violent dispute at Karnaprayag.

A group of Nihang Sikhs, who were demanding the release of fellow sect members and sought action against police officials, have called off their planned protest march in Uttarakhand related to a recent dispute that took place in Uttarakhand’s Karnaprayag market in Chamoli and a gurdwara in Nagrasu.

On June 16 in Karnaprayag, a minor dispute between residents and another set of Nihangs escalated into violence, injuring a few locals and a member of the Nihang sect. Following the clash, police registered a case and arrested four Nihangs.

However, a section of the Sikh sect saw this as “one-sided” action by the administration.

Therefore, seeking the release of arrested members, Nihangs had called for a protest march in Uttarakhand related to a dispute at the Karnaprayag market.

On Thursday night, a security situation erupted following which the authorities had turned into a fortress the Kulhal checkpoint in the Vikasnagar area on the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border.

The site was turned into a fortress during the standoff between a group of Nihangs and the administration at the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border as they wanted to march towards Uttarakhand.

However, the group returned to Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh in the early hours of Friday following negotiations with authorities.

They returned back after talks with the administration. A representative of the group at the spot said that they wanted to undertake their pilgrimage peacefully. He said the group demands the withdrawal of the FIR registered against the four Nihangs, adding they do not wish for a conflict between the people of the two states and want to resolve the dispute with the locals through a compromise.

The group had said they would remain in Uttarakhand until those arrested in the Karnaprayag incident were released.

The development brought an end to the tension that prevailed at the Kulhal checkpoint in the Vikasnagar when a large group of the Sikh sect clashed with the police, pushed through security barricades in an attempt to go towards Hemkund Sahib, a revered Sikh pilgrimage, in Uttarakhand.

However, the Nihang group joined others from their sect at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara where discussions are still on with senior officials of Uttarakhand Police and administration.

After meeting police and district administration authorities, the group, which had gathered at the Race Course Gurdwara in Dehradun, left the premises around 3.30 am in two vehicles under police escort for their safe passage across the state border. The Paonta Sahib Gurdwara is only a few kilometres away.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal said police personnel had been deployed throughout near the Kulhal border since the morning.

He thanked the members of the Sikh community who accepted the administration’s request and agreed to return to Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh.

“A few people had crossed the area (the checkpoint), and one or two vehicles had proceeded along the route. We spoke to them at length, and they, too, agreed to return,” Dobal said, adding that he hoped peace, harmony, and mutual goodwill would continue.

Dehradun District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said the situation was resolved amicably.

“Our Nihang sahibans returned to Paonta Sahib. Around 150 Nihang Sikhs already present in Paonta Sahib extended their full cooperation, bringing the situation under control,” Chauhan added. The group had reportedly set out from Mohali in Punjab.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Pankaj Gairola had earlier said that a section of the protesters breached the barricades and moved forward, prompting efforts to keep the law and order situation under control.

The district administration and police officials, including the local SDM and tehsildar, reached the spot to hold talks, though initial discussions failed to yield a resolution.

When intercepted at the border, a confrontation broke out. Dozens of Nihangs, dressed in traditional blue attire and carrying swords, rods, and sharp-edged weapons, used physical force to break the barriers.

The protesters had earlier declared they would not return to Punjab until four Nihang members arrested in connection with a clash with locals in Karnaprayag market were released.