Rudraprayag: A Sikh pilgrim has allegedly been taken hostage by a group of Nihangs on the terrace of a gurdwara in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag. The group is demanding the release of four members of the sect who were arrested following violence in Karnaprayag on June 16.
The police were attempting to negotiate with the Nihangs, assuring that no action will be taken against them and that they will be given safe passage back to Punjab if they release the devotee, PTI reported.
There was no response from the group till the matter was reported by Hindustan Times.
The gurdwara, in the Nagrasu area, between Rudraprayag and Gauchar on the Badrinath highway, was built by
Sardar Beant Singh.
He told reporters that a group of six Nihangs arrived at the shrine on Saturday evening and asked for 50-60 rooms, claiming that an equal number of Sikhs were expected to arrive from Punjab to hold a demonstration against the arrest of four Nihangs in the June 16 incident.
The Nihangs allegedly turned violent when the gurdwara management refused their request. They took an elderly Sikh devotee hostage, and moved to the top floor of the gurdwara, where they locked themselves in.
The four Nihangs were arrested in connection with a clash on June 16 that reportedly began after an altercation over parking near a hotel in Karnaprayag market.
A group of Nihang pilgrims was returning after offering prayers at Sri Hemkund Sahib Gurdwara when they got into a heated argument with locals in the market, it was reported.
Four locals were injured after the Nihangs attacked the other group with swords. A Nihang pilgrim was also injured in the clash.
Four Nihang pilgrims, all residents of Mohali in Punjab, were subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
The six Nihangs who arrived at the Nagrasu gurdwara had reportedly come from Mohali to stage a sit-in protest on Sunday against what they described as “one-sided action” by the authorities in the Karnaprayag incident.