CHANDIGARH: A policeman was killed and three others injured when two groups of Nihangs clashed with each other over taking over control of Akal Bunga Sahib gurdwara at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala.
It is learnt that the fight to take over the Akal Bunga Sahib gurdwara had been on for the past three days.
The clashes broke out Thursday early morning when the police reportedly arrived at the gurdwara to clear the premises amid an ongoing dispute between two Nihang groups over the rightful ownership of the gurdwara.
A group of about three dozen Nihangs stepped inside the gurdwara and attempted to take over the premises. When a team of police personnel tried to intervene, a bullet hit constable Jaspal Singh. He died on the spot.
The policemen, who had arrived to arrest some Nihangs, were standing on the road when the Nihangs opened fire at them.
Police personnel in large numbers have been deployed in the area. Senior officials have rushed to the spot.
Nihang is an order of Sikh warriors that traces its origin to the creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh. They are distinguished by their blue robes and decorated turbans, and are often seen carrying weapons like swords and spears.
In 2020 during covid lockdown, Nihang protesters chopped off the hand of a policeman in the rain market of Patiala when he was trying to impose restrictions.