Nagrasu Gurdwara Standoff: 4-5 Armed Nihangs Still Inside, Demand Release Of 4 Arrested Men

More than 24 hours after a clash broke out at a gurdwara on the Badrinath highway, the standoff at Nagrasu Gurdwara is still not over. Four to five Nihang Sikhs remain inside the shrine, armed with swords, spears and tridents, while police and ITBP personnel keep watch outside.

How the Standoff Began

The trouble started on Saturday evening, June 20, when a group of Nihangs reached the gurdwara and got into a dispute with the sevadars, the volunteers who run the place day to day. Police say they first learned of the clash through a call to the emergency number 112 at around 3:40 pm, and a team from the nearby Gholtir outpost reached the spot soon after.

According to gurdwara management, the Nihangs had asked for 50 to 60 rooms to be set aside for a larger gathering planned the next day, in protest over an earlier clash in Karnaprayag on June 16. When the gurdwara said it could not meet that demand, an argument broke out. Some Nihangs then moved to the upper floors and blocked the way to the roof.

The Hostage Element

Several reports from the ground describe an elderly Sikh devotee being taken up to the roof along with the Nihangs and held there during the standoff. Slogans were reportedly raised from the rooftop through the night. The man's exact condition has not been independently confirmed, and it remains one of the more disputed details of this story. Police statements have not used the word "hostage," but multiple accounts from the scene describe him being kept with the group throughout the standoff.

Republic's Attempt to Reach the Nihangs

Republic made an attempt to speak directly with the Nihangs stationed inside the gurdwara, reaching out to the four to five members reported to still be holed up there. The group reiterated their core demand through this exchange: the release of the four Nihangs arrested in connection with the Karnaprayag incident. Beyond restating that demand, there was little indication from inside that they were ready to climb down anytime soon.

Three Rounds of Talks, No Breakthrough

District officials and the Nihangs sat down for three rounds of talks between Saturday night and Sunday. None of them ended in an agreement. The Nihangs' demand has not changed through any of it: release the four members of their group arrested over the Karnaprayag incident.

Where Things Stand Now

By Monday, there were small signs of movement. Two individuals connected to the standoff were released following efforts by the administration, and at least one Nihang who had earlier climbed onto the roof came down to speak directly with officials. But four to five members of the group are still inside, and they remain armed.

District Magistrate Vishal Mishra and SP Niharika Tomar have both visited the site and continue to lead talks alongside the gurdwara management committee. Officials say a heavy security presence is in place around the gurdwara, and the administration has made clear it will not allow the situation to take a communal turn.

For now, the picture is one of a tense pause rather than a resolution: an elderly man reportedly still on that rooftop, a small armed group refusing to budge, and an administration trying to talk its way to an ending that three rounds of negotiation haven't managed yet.

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