Dehradun | Updated: June 26, 2026
Tension prevailed at the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border on Thursday night after a large group of Nihang Sikhs clashed with police and breached security barricades at the Kulhal checkpoint in the Vikasnagar area.
The group then proceeded towards Hemkund Sahib despite heavy police deployment at the border.
Visuals from the spot showed the Kulhal-Vikasnagar border turned into a heavily fortified zone, with police personnel in riot gear standing behind multi-layered metal barricades.
The police deployment was made in advance after Nihang groups announced a march towards Uttarakhand amid rising tension linked to a recent dispute at the Karnaprayag and Nagrasu gurdwaras.
According to officials, the group had started from Mohali in Punjab. To prevent their entry, the Uttarakhand administration converted the Kulhal outpost area into a high-security zone.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Pankaj Gairola said a section of the protesters breached the barricades and moved forward. He added that police were trying to maintain law and order.
District administration and police officials, including the local SDM and Tehsildar, reached the spot and held talks with the group. However, the discussions failed to resolve the situation.
When the group was stopped at the Kulhal border, a confrontation broke out. Several Nihangs, wearing traditional blue attire and carrying swords, rods, and sharp-edged weapons, allegedly used force to break the barriers and move ahead.
The protesters said they would not return to Punjab until four Nihang members arrested in connection with the Karnaprayag incident were released.
A representative of the group told reporters that they wanted to continue their pilgrimage peacefully while reciting prayers. He said they wanted to resolve the dispute with locals through compromise instead of conflict.
The group also claimed that police officials had assured them that bail for the detained Nihang members would be processed within a few days. They maintained that they would remain in Uttarakhand until their members were released and could return with them to Punjab.
The controversy is linked to an incident on June 16 in Karnaprayag, where a minor dispute between local residents and a group of Nihangs escalated into violence. Police said some Nihangs allegedly brandished swords, injuring locals, while one Nihang Sikh was also injured.
Following the clash, police registered a case and arrested four Nihangs. A section of the Sikh community has accused the administration of taking one-sided action.
