Total surrender: Police face storm as Nihangs ride away after gurdwara standoff

Mounted on motorcycles, some carrying traditional weapons, several Nihang Sikhs rode away from Uttarakhand's Nagrasu Gurdwara Rudraprayag district on Tuesday evening. For the Nihangs, who occupied parts of the gurdwara for more than three days, it was the resolution of the standoff they staged after the police arrested four other Nihangs after a violent clash in Karnaprayag. However, several experts and critics, including some from within the Sikh community, said the images of the Nihangs leaving the gurdwara without being punished was seen as a "challenge to state authority", which was forgiven without consequences. An Indian Army veteran called it a "total surrender" to the weapon-carrying Nihangs.

The departure of the Nihangs brought to a close a three-day standoff at the gurdwara, where a group of Nihang Sikhs had occupied the rooftop and upper portions of the shrine in Uttarakhand. The deadlock ended after a delegation of Nihang representatives from Punjab met local authorities and the gurdwara management.

Uttarakhand's administrative and police officials described the outcome as "a peaceful resolution". But almost immediately after the Nihangs left, a wave of criticism erupted online, with commentators, lawyers, journalists and retired military officers questioning how the episode had been handled and whether the state had projected weakness.

HOW THE NIHANG CRISIS BEGAN IN UTTARAKHAND

The controversy has its roots in a June 16 clash in Uttarakhand's Karnaprayag. According to police, members of a Nihang group wielded swords during an altercation after their motorcycles allegedly injured a passerby. Several people were injured in the clashes and four Nihang Sikhs were arrested. Sikh organisations, however, alleged bias in the police action and accused the authorities of targeting only one side. Complaints regarding police conduct have since been referred for enquiry by Uttarakhand Police.

Days after the clash in Karnaprayag, a group of Nihangs reached the Nagrasu Gurdwara on the Badrinath Highway (15 km from Karnaprayag) on June 20. Nihangs occupied the rooftop and upper portions of the shrine, refusing repeated appeals from the administration to leave. The deadlock continued for three days before they vacated the gurdwara. The administration said normalcy was restored.

The Nihangs are a centuries-old Sikh warrior order that traces its origins to Guru Gobind Singh's founding of the Khalsa in 1699. They preserve a martial tradition from the periods of persecution and wars. Their members are known for their blue robes, horses, traditional weapons and also as defenders of Sikh institutions and the faith.

Normalcy might have been restored in the Uttarakhand gurdwara and the stretch of the highway leading to the Gurdwara Hemkund Sahib (at 4,329 metres or about 15,197 feet), but the standoff and the way the Nihangs were let off, has sparked a massive row.

WHY POLICE RESPONSE ON NIHANGS BECAME BIGGER STORY?

While several critics and observers have criticised the gurdwara's three-day-long occupation by Nihang's occupation itself, the manner in which it ended has attracted fierce reactions.

A retired Indian Army officer, Major Digvijay Singh Rawat (Retd), was among those who criticised the outcome. Calling it a "great surrender by Uttarakhand Police", Rawat wrote on X that after "four days" of occupation, the Nihangs left "as if they did something great" while allegedly violating traffic rules and displaying weapons.

Rawat, who was awarded Kirti Chakra in 2024, contrasted the episode with past incidents involving Nihangs. He wrote that they could now "go back and plan another seizure at Red Fort and attack policemen with swords". He was referring to the violence around Red Fort during farmers protest on January 26, 2021, in which a person was killed.

The military veteran also blamed politicians for what he saw as excessive vote-bank considerations and concluded with the remark by saying, "Huge respect for Indira Gandhi. She was definitely IRON LADY".

Rawat in the post highlighted that the administration appeared more focused on securing a peaceful end to the three-day gurdwara standoff through negotiations than on taking visible action against the Nihangs, who ultimately left the shrine on motorcycles after talks with a delegation from Punjab.

Giani Gurjeet Singh, who had come from Punjab for the talks, said, "Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, head of the Damdami Taksal, had sent a five-member delegation to Nagrasu Gurdwara to help defuse the situation". He said the delegation held "cordial talks with the Uttarakhand administration and reasoned amicably with the three to four individuals who had caused the commotion", after which they agreed to return to Punjab peacefully.

WHY NIHANG LEAVING UTTARAKHAND GURDWARA IS BEING CALLED SHOCKING

Supreme Court lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha described the episode as "shocking beyond imagination".

Taking to X, Jha said that a "few Nihang Sikhs seized a gurdwara for four days" and later left "flashing weapons on their bikes while breaking all the traffic rules in front of police".

However, the claim that the Nihangs "seized" the shrine is "inaccurate", said the Uttarakhand Police earlier this week.

Dehradun-based journalist Bhupi Panwar took a more measured tone. Reporting the resolution of the dispute on X, he noted that the five Nihangs who had remained on the roof finally agreed to come down after talks with a delegation from Punjab.

"However, the Nihangs have left behind several uncomfortable questions for the administration and the government," Panwar wrote on X.

WAS NIHANG OCCUPATION OF GURDWARA AN 'INTERNAL SIKH ISSUE' OR SOMETHING ELSE?

Rudraprayag SP Niharika Tomar on Tuesday said, "The dispute was between the Nagrasu Gurdwara management and the group of Nihang Sikh pilgrims who had gone to the rooftop and blocked access." She said the administration, police and management committee remained in constant dialogue, and that a delegation from Punjab eventually mediated between the two sides, leading to a peaceful resolution, with all the Nihang pilgrims coming down from the roof".

However, critics argued that the gurdwara standoff shouldn't be viewed merely as an internal dispute within the Sikh community.

A social media account named "Asli Punjabi" argued that the occupation of the gurdwara was "not a mere internal Sikh issue". According to the post, the occupation was intended to pressure the Uttarakhand government and secure the release of arrested Nihangs.

The account alleged that the occupation was being used as a tool of "political blackmail" and to seek "impunity".

While these allegations have not been independently established by the authorities, they reveal that critics interpreted the incident also through a political lens.

The Uttarakhand Police haven't officially stated why the Nihangs stormed the gurdwara and why they were allowed to leave without any punishment.

STANDOFF ENDS, BUT QUESTIONS ON NIHANG GURDWARA OCCUPATION REMAIN

Among the most detailed critiques of the standoff and its resolution came from Aaj Tak Executive Editor Manjeet Negi.

While acknowledging that the standoff had ended and authorities had declared normalcy restored, Negi took to X and raised a series of "unanswered questions".

"What action has been taken regarding the stone-pelting on civilians and police personnel by them [Nihangs]?" he asked.

He also questioned reports that sevadaar had been confined inside the gurdwara during the standoff and asked whether those responsible would be held accountable if such allegations were found to be true.

"The entire episode has raised serious concerns about law and order in Uttarakhand and the consistent application of the law," Negi wrote on X.

Another question on the absence of arrests at the conclusion of the standoff was raised on X by a California-based person, MS Khangura.

"For four days, armed Nihangs who vandalised Nagrasu gurdwara, pelted stones at forces have happily departed for Punjab, proudly waving spears on their bikes. No arrests. What an absolute joke!" he wrote on X.

Similar criticism came from an X handle named, Himalayan Hindu. He echoed similar concerns about law and order and public order. "No arrests. What an absolute joke!" the handle posted on X.

At the same time, Uttarakhand officials maintained that the immediate objective was to restore normalcy peacefully. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra said the matter had been resolved through coordinated efforts by district authorities and the gurdwara administration.

The district administration has also stressed that pilgrimages to Hemkund Sahib and Kedarnath (which follow the route via Nagrasu and Karnaprayag) continued without disruption.

Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth on Wednesday said that the police and administration, acting with "great patience and restraint", managed to bring the Nagrasu Gurdwara standoff under control with the cooperation of various organisations.

Seth told ANI that authorities had been directed to take legal action against those who used "indecent language and made offensive comments". Seth also urged pilgrims to respect Uttarakhand's local traditions, customs and religious beliefs.

The Uttarakhand DGP, however, didn't mention anything regarding why no action was taken against the Nihangs who had occupied the gurdwara.

The Nihangs have left the Nagrasu Gurdwara after days of standoff but left behind several unanswered questions. Critics called the lack of any punishment a "total surrender" to the Nihangs. They're asking if the state blinked first.

- Ends