Nihang Group Assaults Woman Cop In Amritsar As She Saves Man From Them

A woman police officer was held by the collar and pushed around by some Nihang Sikhs as she tried to rescue another Nihang Sikh, who belonged to a rival group and was being assaulted by them, in Amritsar on Friday night.

The commotion broke out during a blockade and sit-in protest by some Nihang Sikhs on Amritsar's Jhabal Road, where another Nihang Sikh arrived on a motorcycle; the protesters stopped him and began assaulting him, alleging that he had been sent by an opposing group to "conduct reconnaissance".

Upon receiving information about the incident, Manjit Kaur, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Gate Hakima police station, arrived at the scene with a team and attempted to rescue the assaulted man.

SHO Manjit Kaur taking away the Nihang Sikh who was assaulted by a rival group in Amritsar on Friday night.

A scuffle broke out between the protesting Nihang Sikhs and the police officer, and the latter was manhandled by some of the protesters. She persisted, and the police took the injured Nihang Sikh into their vehicle and to the police station.

Why The Protest?

The protest centred around a rivalry between two groups. The protesting Nihang Sikhs alleged that they had previously been attacked and fired upon, which led them to stage the sit-in on Jhabal Road. They said the man who came on a bike was sent by Major Singh Bhindwad, the rival group's leader, to spy on them. The protesters accused the police of colluding with the opposing party.

SHO Manjit Kaur said the dispute originated from the passage of some vehicles along the road. The protesting Nihangs claimed that these vehicles belonged to Major Singh. According to the police, there has been a long-standing dispute between the two parties.

According to the police personnel on duty, the protesters had also used abusive language as the vehicles passed by. Traffic on Jhabal Road was disrupted due to the protest, forcing vehicles to be diverted via alternative routes.

The manhandling of the cop came just a day after Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Harjit Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Amritsar late Thursday night while returning home after duty.