Four Nihangs Get Bail in Karnaprayag Clash Case, Haryana CM Steps In to Defuse Tensions

Tensions over the Karnaprayag clash in Uttarakhand eased on Saturday after a court granted bail to four Nihang Sikhs arrested in the case, while Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini stepped in to facilitate talks between Sikh representatives and the Uttarakhand government.

The four accused Satvinder Singh, Ajay Singh, Jasanpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh were granted bail by the District and Sessions Court in Chamoli on personal bonds of ₹50,000 each with two sureties. The defence argued they were falsely implicated after being attacked during a religious pilgrimage, while the prosecution opposed bail, citing the seriousness of the charges. The court observed that the violence appeared to have stemmed from a sudden roadside dispute rather than any premeditated enmity.

The case stems from a June 16 clash in Karnaprayag, where an altercation between local residents and Nihang Sikhs allegedly escalated into a sword attack, injuring several people, including a Nihang Sikh. Police registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act , leading to the four arrests.

Following the arrests, Nihang groups gathered at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh and threatened to march to Uttarakhand. However, they suspended the protest for two days after the Uttarakhand administration assured them that their demands, including the release of the arrested Nihangs, would be addressed.

After meeting a delegation of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, Saini spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and directed his political secretary, Tarun Bhandari , to meet Sikh leaders at Paonta Sahib. Bhandari said both state governments were working together to ensure a peaceful resolution, while Nihang groups continue deliberating their next course of action.