Rudraprayag, Jun 21 (PTI): A group of Nihangs, armed with spears and swords, stormed a gurdwara here and took a Sikh devotee hostage on the roof of the building to demand the release of four members of the sect who were arrested following a clash in Chamoli on June 16, police said on Sunday.
A heavy police force was deployed at the site following the standoff that began Saturday evening and is still on, even though the district administration on Sunday said the situation is fully under control and peaceful.
An officer said police are parleying with a Nihang member about ending the hostage situation.
“The police, district administration, and the Gurudwara management committee are in constant dialogue with the Nihang Sikhs, attempting to understand their concerns and find a solution,” Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar said.
“The talks have yielded positive results; one of the Nihangs has come down from the roof to speak with the administration and police, and dialogue with the remaining individuals is ongoing,” she said.
According to the statement issued by District Magistrate Vishal Mishra, the Nihangs have locked the third floor leading to the terrace where they have been holding an elderly Sikh man hostage.
The gurdwara management said the Nihangs had asked for “50-60 rooms” to house protesters who would come for a demonstration against the arrest of four members of their sect over a clash in Karnaprayag, Chamoli.
When the gurdwara failed to do it, the Nihangs resorted to violence, warning the authorities against any forceful action against them, they said.
According to the police, the Nihangs engaged in vandalism and then took the Sikh man who was at the gurdwara to the rooftop and started raising slogans. They are armed with spears, swords, axes, and kirpans, they said.
Mishra said, “An internal dispute took place inside the gurudwara. Police and administrative officials are present on site to maintain law and order. There is no disruption of any kind. Everything is proceeding peacefully.” He added that the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage continues, and activities such as ‘ardas’, ‘langar’ are going on as usual at the gurdwara.
Four Nihangs were arrested in connection with a clash that took place on June 16 over parking near a hotel in Karnaprayag market.
The group were returning from Sri Hemkund Sahib Gurdwara when it got into a verbal spat with locals at the market.
The pilgrims allegedly attacked the other group with swords, injuring four locals. A Nihang was also injured in the clash.
Consequently, four Nihangs, all from Mohali, Punjab, were arrested.
Later, some Nihangs approached the managers of the Nagrasu gurdwara, appealing to them to support their protest, proposed to be held on Sunday, against the “one-sided action” in the Karnaprayag incident.
According to the police, Sardar Sukhdev Singh and Sardar Beant Singh had built the Nagrasu gurdwara a few years ago, and the two are responsible for its day-to-day management.
Located between Rudraprayag and Gauchar on the Badrinath Highway, the gurdwara serves Sikh pilgrims travelling to and from Sri Hemkund Sahib.
Beant Singh told reporters that the Nihangs arrived at the gurdwara from Mohali around 4 pm on Saturday and demanded that 50-60 rooms be arranged for more of them arriving for a protest.
When the request could not be met, he said, the Nihangs created a ruckus, rushed to the third floor, blocked its entrance, held a man hostage, and took control of the area.
Beant Singh said SP Tomar has assured the Nihangs of safe passage back to Punjab from the gurdwara, but the standoff continues.
The Uttarakhand government has ordered an enquiry into the Karnaprayag clash. PTI DPT VN VN
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
