Twice this week, the Uttarakhand administration found itself staring at a potentially volatile confrontation with Nihang Sikhs. The first was a three-day standoff at Nagrasu Gurdwara in Rudraprayag district. The second unfolded barely two days later, when hundreds of Nihang Sikhs gathered at the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border after calls for a protest march.

Both crises ended without major violence, largely because the administration relied on negotiations rather than an immediate crackdown. But the events also showed how quickly a local altercation can acquire a communal turn in the age of social media.

Karnapryag parking dispute

On June 16, a dispute over vehicle parking in Karnaprayag — along the route to Hemkund Sahib gurudwara, which sits at over 4300 meters above sea level — allegedly escalated into a clash between Nihang Sikhs and residents.

For the police, it was a case of a local law-and-order disturbance, following which four Nihang Sikhs were arrested on the complaint of locals.

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For Nihang Sikhs, the matter was now about dignity and religious identity as videos of them being beaten, paraded without turban under police protection went viral, fuelling anger far beyond Uttarakhand.

They also felt injustice happened with them as no FIR was initially lodged on the complaint of Nihang Sikhs.

With mounting criticism, the Uttarakhand government attempted to contain the fallout.

The investigation was handed over to the Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police, who subsequently ordered a cross-FIR against the locals named in the complaints. The government also initiated a separate inquiry into allegations of police misconduct on the Nihang Sikhs.

Nagrasu fallout

While the government thought that the Karnaprayag episode was settled, a group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly captured the terrace of Nagrasu Gurdwara Langar Sahib, located in Rudraprayag district, which shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Nepal.

The gurdwara management claimed that disagreements with Nihang Sikhs started over the food and accommodation arrangement following which police was called.

Representatives of the Nihangs offered a different account to local media in which it was stated that their only demand was permission to stage a peaceful protest over the alleged mistreatment of Nihangs in Karnaprayag.

With thousands of pilgrims travelling through the region every day during this time of the year, the administration opted for negotiations against a forced eviction. Police, backed by personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, secured the area while senior Nihang leaders from Punjab engaged with those inside the shrine. After nearly three days of negotiations, the group agreed to come out peacefully, bringing the standoff to an end on June 23.

Balancing the narrative

Although the police maintained throughout that the Karnaprayag clash and the Nagrasu standoff were unrelated incidents, the distinction largely disappeared on social media. Posts claiming Sikh pilgrims were being targeted in Uttarakhand circulated widely, prompting protests by Sikh organisations in several states and calls for Nihang Sikhs to march to Uttarakhand in solidarity.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami appealed for calm, saying there was no evidence linking the two incidents. He also urged people not to circulate rumours that could disturb communal harmony and reassured pilgrims that the Char Dham Yatra was continuing without disruption.

Call for March

With two alleged incidents of mistreatment of Nihang Sikhs making rounds on social media, a nationwide call for a protest march in Uttarakhand was made for June 25. To participate in the same, hundreds of Nihang Sikhs assembled at Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and attempted to enter Uttarakhand via its capital, Dehradun.

Already prepared for the march, the administration sealed key routes into the State, erected barricades and deployed heavy police forces at the Kulhal border check post. Officials said controlled force was used after some protesters attempted to breach the barricades.

Hours of negotiations involving police officers, district officials and Sikh community representatives eventually defused the situation. Most of the protesters returned to Himachal Pradesh, while a small delegation stayed back in Dehradun for further discussions with the administration.

For now, the immediate crisis appears to have settled, but investigations into both the Karnaprayag clash and the Nagrasu Gurdwara episode are still underway.