NEW DELHI (Kashmir English): The Indian Army and local police opened direct fire on Nihang Sikh protestors gathered at the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border on Thursday.
The protestors are marching into Uttarakhand over the Karnaprayag clash, and the Nagrasu Gurdwara standoff remained unchanged despite hours of talks with the state administration
Around 300 Nihangs marching from Mohali to Uttarakhand were stopped by police at barricades set up along the Himachal Pradesh–Uttarakhand border.
The Nihangs are protesting the arrests made after a sword clash in Karnaprayag on June 16, which reportedly began over a parking dispute. Earlier this week, authorities peacefully resolved a standoff involving Nihangs on the rooftop of a gurdwara in Rudraprayag. Officials have deployed heavy security in the area.
Nihang Sikhs reached the Kulhal-Vikasnagar border on Thursday and said they would not return until four Nihangs arrested in connection with the June 16 Karnaprayag clash are released.
The first batch of Nihang Sikhs reached the Kulhal check post near Vikasnagar after spending the day at Gurdwara Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, where officials had been trying to persuade them to postpone the June 25 march. As negotiations ended without a breakthrough, the group moved towards the Uttarakhand border while administrative teams continued efforts to convince them to defer the procession.
Police personnel from several districts, along with security agencies, were deployed across the border area. Drones were also pressed into service to monitor the situation and ensure that law and order were maintained.
