A tense stand-off that began with Nihang groups moving from Punjab towards Uttarakhand ended peacefully late on Thursday night after prolonged negotiations between the Sikh warrior order, the police and the district administration.
According to police officials, several Nihang devotees had set out as per a pre-announced programme for Sri Hemkund Sahib. However, security agencies stopped them near Paonta Sahib by putting up barricades, in view of recent tension following a clash in Chamoli district’s Karnaprayag.
Police said some members of the group allegedly removed the barricades while displaying kirpans and entered the Dehradun district limits. The sudden development triggered a security alert in the state capital.
Senior officers said the police had received inputs that the Nihang groups could reach Dehradun. Following this, Premnagar and adjoining areas were put under heavy security cover late at night. Dehradun SSP Parmendra Dobhal personally monitored the situation, while forces from several police stations were deployed.
For nearly two hours, police teams waited in Premnagar, but the group did not arrive there. Later, officials learnt that the Nihangs had taken an alternative route. Instead of proceeding through the expected stretch, they reportedly entered Dehradun via the Paonta Sahib-Dehradun highway and then moved through the Gorakhpur-Shimla bypass before reaching the city.
The group eventually gathered at a gurdwara in Race Course, Dehradun. District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan, SSP Dobhal and other senior administrative officials reached the spot and held several rounds of talks with the Nihang representatives.
“The situation was handled through dialogue and restraint,” a senior police officer said. “Our priority was to ensure that there was no confrontation and that law and order remained intact.”
The movement of Nihang groups towards Uttarakhand was linked to an earlier incident in Karnaprayag, where some Nihangs had allegedly clashed with local residents. Police said a few people were injured in the incident, following which the alleged attackers were arrested. The latest mobilisation was believed to be in protest against those arrests.
After hours of discussion at the Race Course gurdwara, the groups agreed to return to Himachal Pradesh. Police sources said that around 1.15 am, a group of 12 to 15 Nihangs, travelling in a utility vehicle, two cars and on a motorcycle, was sent back towards Paonta Sahib gurdwara.
Later, around 2.40 am, another group of nearly 12 to 15 Nihangs, along with two four-wheelers and a bike, also left the Race Course gurdwara for Paonta Sahib.
SSP Parmendra Dobhal said, “Late on Thursday night, some Nihang devotees reached Dehradun through Paonta Sahib and other routes and gathered at the Race Course gurdwara. Police and administrative officers held detailed talks with them. After the discussions, all of them were sent back towards Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh.”
Officials said the situation remained under control and no fresh violence was reported.