A nearly 72-hour standoff at the Nagarasu gurdwara in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag ended on Tuesday evening as a group of Nihangs holed up at the shrine vacated the premises after talks with a delegation from Punjab, officials said.
The Nihangs have called off their planned protest march in Uttarakhand related to a recent dispute at the Karnaprayag market in Chamoli and a gurdwara in Nagrasu.
Over 150 Nihangs are camping at Paonta Sahib gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh, refusing to return to Punjab until four members of their sect, arrested in Uttarakhand following a clash with locals, are released. The group had previously attempted to force entry into Uttarakhand and clashed with police, leading to an ongoing standoff.
A group of Nihangs, armed with traditional weapons, stormed a gurdwara in Rudraprayag, taking a Sikh devotee hostage on the roof to demand the release of four sect members arrested after a clash in Chamoli.