Nihang Group Camps at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara, Demands Release of Arrested Members

More than 150 Nihang Sikhs are camping at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, refusing to return to Punjab until four members of their sect, arrested in connection.

With a clash in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, are released. According to sources, senior members of the Nihang jatha held meetings on Saturday to decide their next course of action and reiterated that the group would continue its stay at the gurdwara until the detained Nihangs were freed.

The protest follows a tense standoff at the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border earlier this week, where a Nihang procession attempted to enter Uttarakhand through Dehradun but was stopped by heavy police deployment. The confrontation led to clashes between the protesters and security personnel as some members tried to push through barricades.

The impasse ended on Friday after the Nihang group agreed to temporarily suspend its planned march into Uttarakhand.

Jagdeep Singh Akali, who is leading the jatha, said the Uttarakhand administration had sought two days to address the group’s demands.

“The administration has asked for two days to fulfil our demands. We have therefore postponed our protest march for the next two days,” he told reporters.

He, however, warned that the agitation would resume if the four arrested Nihangs were not released within the stipulated time.

Clash in Karnaprayag

The dispute stems from an incident on June 16 in Karnaprayag market in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, where an altercation between local residents and a group of Nihangs escalated into violence.

Several local residents and one Nihang were injured in the clash. Police subsequently registered a case and arrested four Nihang members.

In response, members of the sect organised a protest march towards Hemkund Sahib, the revered Sikh pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand.

On Thursday, some protesters breached security barricades near the interstate border before police persuaded them to return following negotiations. The group later moved to Paonta Sahib Gurdwara, just across the Himachal Pradesh border, where they have remained since.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal said a few protesters and vehicles had crossed the checkpoint briefly but agreed to turn back after discussions with officials.

Earlier hostage incident

The latest protest comes days after another dramatic episode linked to the same dispute.

On June 20, around six Nihangs climbed onto the roof of Nagarasu Gurdwara on the Badrinath Highway and allegedly held an elderly man hostage while demanding the release of the four arrested sect members.

The standoff ended on June 23 after negotiations involving the local administration, the gurdwara management and representatives of the Nihang community from Punjab, following which the shrine was vacated peacefully.

With the two-day deadline given to the Uttarakhand administration nearing its end, the situation remains under close watch, as the Nihang group has indicated it is prepared to revive its protest if its demands are not met.