Uttarakhand court grants bail to 4 Nihang Sikhs in Karnaprayag clash case

DEHRADUN: A district and sessions court in Chamoli on Saturday granted bail to four Nihang Sikhs arrested in connection with a violent clash in Karnaprayag on June 16, officials said. District and Sessions Judge Bindhyachal Singh accepted the bail applications of Satvinder Singh, Ajay Singh, Jasanpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh, and ordered their release on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each along with two sureties of the same amount, said officials according to news agency PTI. The four accused are facing charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act, registered under FIR number 0017/2026 at Karnaprayag police station. On June 16, a minor dispute between local residents and Nihang Sikhs in Karnaprayag allegedly escalated into a sword attack, leaving several people injured. A Nihang Sikh was also injured in the incident. Police later registered a case and arrested the four Nihang Sikhs. During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the accused had been falsely implicated. The counsel stated that the group was on a religious pilgrimage when they were attacked by local residents, leaving one of the accused, Manpreet Singh, seriously injured.

The prosecution opposed the bail plea, stating that the allegations were serious and that the release of the accused could lead to tampering with evidence. It further argued that the dispute escalated after a road accident, and that police had modified the charges during the ongoing investigation. After hearing both sides, the court observed that the incident appeared to have been triggered by a sudden road dispute rather than prior enmity.

It also noted that the sections invoked against the accused carry a maximum punishment of seven years’ imprisonment. Without commenting on the merits of the case, the court held that there were sufficient grounds to grant bail to all four accused. It directed that they be released after completing the required surety formalities and ordered that a copy of the order be sent immediately to Chamoli District Jail. The arrests had earlier triggered a standoff at Nagrasu gurdwara in Rudraprayag district, which continued for three days and ended on June 23 following the intervention of a Sikh delegation. Later, on the night of June 25, a group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly entered Uttarakhand through the Kulhal border in Dehradun district, which adjoins Himachal Pradesh, demanding the release of the arrested men. Officials later persuaded them to return to Paonta Sahib. They clarified that the release of the accused would depend entirely on court orders and that all legal formalities would be completed only after bail was granted. After that, they would be allowed to leave Uttarakhand.