Punjab Gurdwara Clash Turns Deadly: Nihang Sikh Opens Fire, Killing One Constable and Injuring Five

Tension escalates as Nihang Sikhs open fire on police, one constable killed.

A Punjab home guards constable was killed and five policemen were injured in a clash with Nihang Sikhs in Kapurthala’s Sultanpur Lodhi in the wee hours on Thursday.

The deceased constable has been identified as Jaspal Singh, who was posted at Sultanpur Lodhi police station.

Two of the Nihang groups have been at loggerheads for the past three days over the control of the Gurdwara Akal Bunga situated opposite to main Gurdwara Ber Sahib.

However, the situation escalated early Thursday morning after the police tried to vacate the Gurdwara from the Nihang group manned by Mann Singh. His members started firing indiscriminately at the police team, killing a home guards constable and injuring five policemen, who are presently admitted to the local hospital.

Tension prevailed in the area before the birth anniversary of the first Sikh master Guru Nanak Dev on November 27.

As per available information, the Nihangs, who are heavily armed, have locked the Gurdwara from the inside. The police have barricaded the whole area and initiated talks with the Nihang group to vacate the possession.

It may be mentioned that earlier, the gurdwara was in possession of Patiala-based Baba Budha Dal Balbir Singh but on November 21, his opponent group Mann Singh took illegal possession of the Gurdwara by brutally assaulting two of the employees of the Gurdwara.

Police have already registered an FIR under attempt to murder and other sections of IPC on November 21 and arrested 10 Nihangs from the Mann Singh group on Wednesday.

Both the groups also clashed in 2020 in which a Nihang was killed.

Nihang Sikhs are a distinctive and traditionalist martial order within Sikhism, known for their unique attire and adherence to traditional Sikh martial practices. Members of this Sikh sect live on the fringes of society and dress up as medieval warriors owing allegiance to Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru, specialising in the traditional martial art of gatka (similar to the modern sport of fencing).

In 2020, a policeman’s hand was chopped off with a sword and six of his colleagues were injured in an attack by a group of Nihangs at a vegetable market in Patiala.