India: One cop killed, several injured after Nihang Sikh attack police in Punjab over gurdwara control
The gurdwara remains under siege
Tensions escalated in the Kapurthala region of the northern Indian state of Punjab where Nihang Sikhs opened fire on police, killing one constable and injuring five in the early hours of Thursday (Nov 23).
The deceased constable has been identified as Jaspal Singh who was posted at the Sultanpur Lodhi police station. The clashes erupted over the ownership of gurdwara Akal Bunga situated opposite to main gurdwara Ber Sahib.
The situation has been tense for the last three days but it escalated on Thursday morning when the police attempted to vacate the gurudwara from the Nihang group, led by Mann Singh, according to aHindustan Timesreport.
The Nihangs are heavily armed and have locked the gurdwara from the inside, forcing the police to barricade the whole area and initiate talks with them to vacate possession.
Up until Tuesday (Nov 21), the gurdwara was in the possession of Patiala-based Baba Budha Dal Balbir Singh but his rival Mann Singh took possession forcefully with his followers brutally assaulting two employees of the gurdwara.
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Police have so far arrested 10 people from the Nihang sect for allegedly encroaching on the gurdwara. The operation is still underway with the officials hopeful of making a breakthrough.
Who are Nihangs?
Nihangs are a Sikh sect, distinguished by their blue robes, called Khalsa Swarupa and decorated turbanssurmounted with a chakram or steel quoits. They are often associated with acts of bravery and valour and for defending the rights of the weak.
However, in recent years, the group has come under heavy scrutiny for its actions. In 2020, Nihang protesters chopped off the hand of a police officer in Patiala when he was attempting to impose a COVID-19 lockdown.
In 2021, during the peak of farmers' protests in the capital city of Delhi, Nihangs were accused of killing a Dalit man named Lakhbir Singh over the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib – the holy book of the Sikh community.
Singh's arm was chopped off and he was hung upside down to be displayed in front of the protesting farmers' stage at the Singhu border, just outside the national capital.
"The Nihangs said that the incident took place because Lakhbir attempted to commit sacrilege to the 'Sarbaloh Granth'. It is been reported that this deceased had been staying with the same group of Nihangs for some time," a statement by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) - the group leading the farmers' protest, read at the time.
(With inputs from agencies)