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Dehradun: A tense standoff with Nihang Sikhs who locked themselves with spears and swords at a gurdwara in Nagrasu of Rudraprayag district ended after almost four days on Tuesday following an intervention from a Punjab delegation of fellow Nihangs and intense efforts of local administration to break the stalemate.After the gurdwara meeting, delegation member Baba Deep Singh from Jalandhar, said, “We came here to resolve the matter between them (Nihangs) and the gurdwara management committee. We’ve succeeded. They were upset with the Karnaprayag incident in which four Nihangs returning from Hemkund Sahib were arrested. However, their protest inside the gurdwara was not the right way to express displeasure.”Singh added: “Having said that, each individual has a different mindset.
Whatever happened has now been resolved amicably. All the remaining four Nihangs had left for their respective homes.”At least seven Nihang Sikhs climbed onto the gurdwara’s roof on the evening of June 20. They blocked access while purportedly demanding the release of Nihangs arrested in connection with an alleged dispute between a group of Nihang Sikhs and locals in Karnaprayag market on June 16. Nagrasu -- a tiny town -- is situated around 15 km from Karnaprayag town in Chamoli district and is nearly 200 km from Dehradun.
On Tuesday morning, the five-member team of Nihang Sikhs -- hailing from different cities of Punjab -- arrived at Nagrasu, and entered the gurdwara to initiate a dialogue with the four Nihangs inside. Three of the seven Nihangs had left the premises on Monday.A delegation of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee also met Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence. Later, he chaired a high-level meeting with state officials, including the DGP and home secretary, in which he directed them to ensure the “safety and security of all devotees coming to Uttarakhand”.“Uttarakhand has always believed in the ethos of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ and welcomed guests with open arms. The govt has already launched impartial probes into the Karnaprayag and Nagrasu incidents in which appropriate legal action will be taken against those responsible. We won’t tolerate acts that intend to hurt sentiments of any community and disturb the communal harmony,” Dhami said.Earlier on Monday, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann spoke to Dhami over phone, during which he urged the latter to resolve the matter amicably through negotiations.
He also offered all possible support from the Punjab govt, if needed.Meanwhile, Rudraprayag DM Vishal Mishra, present at Nagrasu with other senior police and administration officials on Tuesday, said local authorities assisted the dialogue process among members of the Sikh community at the gurdwara. “It has been resolved peacefully,” Mishra added.According to police, the visiting Nihangs took two men including a ‘sevadar’ (volunteer) hostage, and following negotiations between them and local officials, including the DM and SP, one hostage was released on June 20 while the ‘sevadar’ was freed June 21 night.“They had no issues with police or local residents as wrongly claimed by a large section of social media. Force is still deployed near the gurdwara as a security precaution,” IG (Garhwal range), Rajeev Swaroop, told TOI. Incidentally, the probe of the Karnaprayag incident has been transferred from Chamoli district police to Haridwar police unit to ensure “transparency”.
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