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