Delhi Police and Uttarakhand Police have stepped up security after receiving threat emails warning of a possible terrorist attack, with intelligence agencies issuing an alert over potential strikes by Khalistani terrorists on temples, government offices, railway stations and police personnel, sources said on Saturday.
According to Delhi Police sources, the emails named several temples, government offices and political leaders as potential targets, prompting an investigation into the threats. Security agencies have also heightened surveillance across Delhi and Uttarakhand.
The intelligence alert warned that Khalistani terrorists could carry out a major attack in the coming days, targeting religious sites in both states as well as key government institutions, railway stations and police personnel.
The heightened alert comes against the backdrop of recent tensions between Nihang Sikhs and Uttarakhand Police following the arrest of four Nihang pilgrims accused of attacking local residents in Chamoli district earlier this month.
The standoff eased after the Nihang group, which had been demanding the release of the four arrested members, withdrew from the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border following assurances from the authorities.
The dispute began on June 16 in Karnaprayag in Chamoli district, where a group of Nihang Sikh pilgrims was accused of attacking local traders and residents with swords following a verbal altercation. Police registered an FIR and arrested four accused, who were subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
On June 20, members of the group occupied a gurdwara at Nagarasu in Rudraprayag before leaving on June 23 after holding meditations.
A larger group later marched towards Dehradun on June 25, reiterating its demand for the release of the arrested Nihangs. Authorities said mediation efforts had helped ease tensions after police assured the group that allegations of bias in the investigation would be examined.
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According to Chamoli Police, the clash broke out after an argument between Nihang pilgrims returning from the Hemkund Sahib Yatra and local traders escalated into violence. Police alleged that four Nihang pilgrims attacked a trader and residents who intervened, leaving four people injured.
Police have not announced any arrests or identified any suspects in connection with the latest terror threat. Investigations into the source and credibility of the emails are underway.
Legs broken, turbans removed: Sikh leaders allege third degree torture
A delegation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) and Sikh religious leaders on Saturday alleged police brutality against four Sikh pilgrims arrested after a clash in Uttarakhand and demanded their immediate release.
Baba Major Singh Sodhi claimed the arrested men were subjected to "third-degree torture", alleging their legs were broken and turbans removed before they were produced in court. He also sought FIRs against local residents involved in the clash and warned that more Sikh groups from Punjab would arrive if the demands were not met. He said the delegation had spoken to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured them the matter would be looked into.
HSGMC members also demanded enhanced security for pilgrims undertaking the Hemkund Sahib Yatra and urged the Uttarakhand administration to take impartial action against all those responsible for the violence while maintaining communal harmony.
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