The dispute between Punjab’s Nihangs and the Uttarakhand administration has been resolved following the intervention of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. The deadlock ended on Friday night after a delegation of Nihangs met the Chief Minister and sought his intervention in the matter.
Acting on the Chief Minister’s directions, his Political Adviser Tarun Bhandari held talks with the Uttarakhand government. On Saturday, Bhandari travelled to Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and met Nihang representatives at a gurdwara. Following discussions with the authorities, all four Nihangs arrested in connection with the assault case were granted bail.
Speaking after the meeting, Bhandari said the discussions were held on the instructions of Chief Minister Saini to find an amicable solution. He said it was decided that all four arrested Nihangs would be released on bail, and their release was expected by late Saturday night.
The controversy began on June 16 in Karnaprayag in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district when a motorcycle belonging to a group of Nihangs returning from the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage allegedly collided with a parked car in a market. The incident led to an argument that escalated into a violent clash.
Police alleged that some Nihangs attacked local residents with swords and other sharp edged weapons, injuring several people. Four Nihangs, Jasnpreet Singh, Ajay Singh and Manpreet Singh, all residents of Mohali, and Satwinder Singh of SAS Nagar, were arrested and booked under charges including attempt to murder before being sent to judicial custody.
The Sikh community, however, alleged that the police had acted in a one sided manner and maintained that the Nihangs had acted in self defence. Subsequently, on the complaint of the father of an injured Sikh pilgrim, Karnaprayag police also registered a counter FIR against unidentified local residents.
The arrests triggered protests by Nihangs, with some reportedly taking control of a gurdwara. On June 25, a large group of Nihangs from Punjab left for Uttarakhand demanding the release of the four arrested men, a fair investigation into the FIRs, and a probe into the alleged police action.
The group was stopped by police at the Uttarakhand border near Kulhal after travelling through Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh. During the standoff, some Nihangs allegedly attempted to breach the police barricades.
The breakthrough came after Nihang representatives met Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on June 26, leading to negotiations that ultimately resulted in the release of the four arrested Nihangs on bail.