Rudraprayag: Tensions have risen sharply across the Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand after a group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly seized control of a local shrine and held a temple volunteer hostage. The ongoing standoff is directly linked to an altercation that erupted earlier in the week between local residents and Nihang groups within the town of Karnaprayag. The friction intensified dramatically when a fresh detachment of Nihangs arriving from Punjab entered and occupied the Nagrasu Gurdwara Sahib, located in the adjacent Rudraprayag district.
Internal sources indicate that the faction targeted the shrine administration due to its refusal to publicly endorse their stance regarding the prior confrontation in Karnaprayag. During the forced takeover, a resident volunteer was taken captive and remained under the group’s custody. Garhwal Range Inspector General of Police, Rajiv Swaroop, stated that top-ranking law enforcement personnel are actively responding to the venue to manage the security crisis and evaluate the ground reality.
To mitigate the volatile situation and prevent the dissemination of inflammatory misinformation, provincial authorities have implemented a temporary suspension of internet services across the sensitive belt. Simultaneously, specialized security deployments, including forces from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), have been dispatched to fortify the region. In a parallel administrative move to safeguard public order, officials have enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in Karnaprayag, effectively banning unauthorized assembly and locking down sensitive transport corridors.
The emergence of this conflict has sparked substantial concern among state administrators as it coincides directly with the peak of the annual Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage. The disrupted zone sits squarely along the primary transit highway utilized by thousands of Sikh devotees journeying to the holy site. While the Uttarakhand Home Department remains on high alert to preserve the safety of the pilgrimage route, security agencies are currently prioritizing negotiations to secure the safe release of the hostage without any reported casualties.
