Standoff at Uttarakhand gurdwara after Nihang group storms in, occupies rooftop

3 min readDehradunUpdated: Jun 21, 2026 10:38 PM IST

Police said seven people had gone to the rooftop, where six of them remain as of Sunday evening. (@ANI/X | Images enhanced by ChatGPT)

A group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly stormed into a gurdwara in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag, occupied the rooftop, and refused to come down after closing the door behind them. Police and the administration have been trying to reach out to the group.

According to police, the incident started on Saturday afternoon when the sewadars of the Nagrasu Gurdwara in Rudraprayag and a group of Nihang Sikhs had an altercation. Police said seven people had gone to the rooftop, where six of them remain as of Sunday evening.

“They had an altercation at the gurdwara and went to the rooftop and closed the door. The administration and police are trying to speak to them. One of them has come down, and we are listening to their grievances. The talks have yielded positive results. Efforts are ongoing to engage with the remaining individuals,” said Niharika Tomar, the Superintendent of Police, Rudraprayag.

On June 16, a group of Nihang Sikh pilgrims were accused of attacking residents with weapons in Karnaprayag, following which they were later arrested and sent to judicial custody. This happened after a verbal altercation reportedly broke out between some Nihang pilgrims returning from the Hemkund Sahib Yatra and local traders in Karnaprayag market. The dispute escalated when four Nihang pilgrims allegedly attacked a local trader and other residents who intervened, using weapons. Four people were injured in the incident.

Watch video:

#WATCH | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand: A tense situation arose this evening over a gurdwara located in Nagarasu, Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.

A dispute had been ongoing at the Nagarasu Gurdwara since this afternoon regarding the activities of around a dozen individuals.… pic.twitter.com/3USrlxDQpu

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 20, 2026

An FIR was registered, and police arrested four accused. Saturday’s incident allegedly stemmed from this, as the Nihangs were seeking the release of the arrested accused.

The managing committee of the gurdwara said the group hurled abuses at them, claiming that they would occupy the gurdwara. They said they did not know the accused and alleged that the accused had multiple scuffles on their way to the gurdwara. The committee added that they vandalised the rooftop of the gurdwara.

“We could not offer prayers last night. They were hurling abuses and pelting stones… We told them that we will speak with the Chamoli SP for the bail of those arrested,” Beant Singh, a member at the gurdwara committee, told reporters.

The SP said that several claims circulating on social media were misleading and factually incorrect.

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“The gurdwara has not been occupied by anyone, and no person has been held hostage. Langar services are functioning normally, pilgrims are freely entering and leaving the premises, staying there, and continuing their journeys. Ardas and other religious activities are also being conducted regularly,” she said.

Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, covering Uttarakhand. She brings sound journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at the organisation as a sub-editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighbouring districts before transitioning to her current role as a resident correspondent in Dehradun. She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala.

She has reported on the state politics, governance, environment and wildlife, and gender. Aiswarya has undertaken investigations using the Right to Information Act on law enforcement, public policy and procurement rules in Uttarakhand. She has also attempted narrative journalism on socio-economic matters affecting local communities.

This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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