Nihang standoff enters 3rd day; Army deployed at Uttarakhand gurudwara

The tense standoff between a group of armed Nihangs and authorities at a gurudwara in Nagrasu, Uttarakhand, has stretched past 40 hours and into the third day, with Army troops now deployed in the town, officials said on Monday (June 22). Police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel continue to remain at the site.

Army called in

The arrival of Army personnel marks a significant escalation in the crisis, which reportedly began on the evening of June 20 when a group of Nihangs, armed with spears, swords, axes, and kirpans, allegedly seized the gurudwara and took an elderly Sikh devotee hostage on the rooftop.

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The Nihangs are demanding the release of four members of their sect arrested following a clash in Chamoli on June 16.

Conflicting accounts

The situation has been clouded by contradictory official statements. While police sources confirmed the hostage situation, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Vishal Mishra on Monday said no hostage had been taken and that prayers, langar, and movement at the gurudwara were proceeding normally.

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However, Mishra himself had earlier told PTI that the Nihangs had locked the third floor where they were holding the man. Allegedly, authorities have been in dialogue with the Nihangs. Superintendent of Police Niharika Tomar said earlier that one Nihang had come down from the roof to speak with officials.

(With agency inputs)