A 72-hour standoff at a gurdwara in Uttarakhand ended after the intervention of representatives of Amritsar-based Damdami Taksal and the Nihang Singh Budha Dal from Paonta Sahib, leading to the peaceful evacuation of five armed Nihangs who had occupied the shrine’s upper floors for more than three days.After repeated talks between the Nihangs and the Rudraprayag civil and police administration failed to break the deadlock, a delegation comprising Giani Sahib Singh, Giani Satnam Singh, Giani Gurpreet Singh Vaid, Giani Ravinder Pal Singh and Giani Avtar Singh Maluwal, all associated with Damdami Taksal, travelled to Nagrasu to mediate.Talking to The Tribune, Giani Sahib Singh said that with the assistance of Budha Dal (Paonta Sahib) representative Giani Gargaj Singh, discussions held in the presence of local police and administrative officials yielded positive results.“The issue was resolved after taking the Nihangs and the gurdwara management into confidence. After several rounds of talks, both sides agreed to bury their differences. The administration was also persuaded not to take action. In the end, the Nihangs voluntarily vacated the gurdwara premises and returned to Punjab,” he ਰੁਦਰਪ੍ਰਯਾਗ ਦੇ ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਮੈਜਿਸਟਰੇਟ ਵਿਸ਼ਾਲ ਮਿਸ਼ਰਾ ਨੇ ਪੁਸ਼ਟੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਾਮਲ ਸਾਰੇ ਲੋਕ ਅਹਾਤੇ ਛੱਡ ਗਏ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਆਮ ਵਾਂਗ ਬਹਾਲ ਹੋ ਗਈ ਹੈ। He urged devotees not to pay heed to rumours and said the Hemkund Sahib and Kedarnath pilgrimages were continuing smoothly under police vigil.The Gurdwara Langar Damdama Sahib at Nagrasu in Rudraprayag district, built a few years ago on the Badrinath Highway, is used by Sikh devotees travelling to and from the Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage.According to officials, the dispute began when the Nihangs sought accommodation for demonstration, which the gurdwara management declined because of space constraints and the heavy rush of pilgrims. The group also demanded the release of four Nihang pilgrims arrested after a clash with local residents at Karnaprayag on June 16 over a parking dispute that left four persons injured.Referring to that incident, Giani Sahib Singh alleged that resentment had grown over what he described as one-sided police action. He also expressed concern over incidents involving Sikh pilgrims during religious journeys in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.According to local accounts, seven Nihangs arrived at the gurdwara on June 20. Gurdwara officials alleged that following a dispute, some members occupied the upper floors, confined sewadars, damaged property and pelted police personnel and bystanders with stones. ਤਿੰਨ ਮੈਂਬਰ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਆਪਣੀ ਮਰਜ਼ੀ ਨਾਲ ਕਬਜ਼ੇ ਵਾਲੀ ਥਾਂ ਛੱਡ ਕੇ ਚਲੇ ਗਏ ਸਨ।