Chandigarh, June 27: A group of over 150 Nihang Singhs has halted its march toward Uttarakhand and set up base at Gurdwara Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, issuing a firm warning that they will not return to Punjab until four jailed colleagues are freed. The encampment follows an active standoff with police personnel on the Himachal-Uttarakhand border near Dehradun.
Tensions flared on Thursday when the Nihang jatha attempted to breach security barricades in Dehradun to proceed toward the Hemkunt Sahib pilgrimage site. Heavy police deployments intercepted the march, resulting in a brief clash before the group retreated across the state line to the safety of the Paonta Sahib shrine.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Doval asserted that the situation was managed through communication after initial boundary breaches.
“Some people had crossed the border post and one or two vehicles had also crossed the border but they agreed to go back after talks,” SSP Pramendra Doval affirmed.
The unrest is tied to a June 16 altercation in the Karanprayag market of Chamoli, Uttarakhand, where a dispute between residents and a group of Nihangs turned violent, causing injuries on both sides and leading to the arrest of four Nihangs. Additional friction occurred on June 20, when a small faction climbed the roof of the Nagarasu Gurdwara on the Badrinath Highway and held an elderly man hostage, a situation resolved on June 23 via administrative talks.
Sect leaders currently stationed at the border shrine held detailed strategy discussions on Saturday, following a two-day postponement of their march.
Jatha leader Jagdeep Singh Akali declared that the pause was a direct response to an administrative request for time.
“The Uttarakhand administration has asked for two days to fulfill their demands, hence the plan for a protest march in Uttarakhand has been suspended for the next two days,” Jagdeep Singh Akali maintained.
Sources report that the Nihang leadership is actively finalizing their next course of action while waiting to see if regional officials honor the agreed timeline to resolve the grievances.
