The four Nihang Sikhs arrested in connection with the June 16 Karnaprayag clash in Uttarakhand are likely to move court for bail in the coming days, even as more than 150 members of the sect continue camping at Paonta Sahib gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh, refusing to return to Punjab until their colleagues are released.

Official sources in Uttarakhand said that if the court grants bail, the administration is likely to allow the four accused to return to Punjab after completing all legal formalities, a move expected to help defuse tensions triggered by the incident.

Officials, however, clarified that the release of the accused depends entirely on court orders. All necessary legal formalities will be completed only after the court grants them bail, following which they will be allowed to leave Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, Nihang groups camping at Paonta Sahib gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district held discussions on their future course of action and reiterated that they would not leave for Punjab until the four arrested members are released, sources said.

The latest developments follow heightened tensions at the Himachal-Uttarakhand border after a Nihang jatha attempted to enter Uttarakhand through Dehradun on Thursday. The group clashed with police deployed in large numbers to prevent their entry and pushed through security barricades while marching towards Hemkund Sahib, a Sikh pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand.

The standoff between the Nihangs and the Dehradun administration ended on Friday after the group agreed to postpone its proposed protest march into Uttarakhand for two days.

Jagdeep Singh Akali, who is leading the Nihang jatha, told the media on Friday that the Uttarakhand administration sought two days to "fulfil their demands", so the plan for a protest march in Uttarakhand has been suspended for the next two days.

However, he warned that they would resume their agitation if the arrested Nihangs were not released.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal said that a few people had crossed the checkpoint at the border, and one or two vehicles had crossed but they agreed to return after discussions.

According to Uttarakhand officials, another group of Nihang Sikhs had forcibly entered the state through the Kulhal border in Dehradun district on the night of June 25, demanding the release of the arrested men. Officials persuaded them to return to Paonta Sahib, where they are now staying.

Police in Uttarakhand remain on alert as a precautionary measure, with heightened vigilance continuing at the Kulhal border. Officials said movement across the interstate border remains normal, but the situation is being closely monitored.

The current standoff stems from a clash on June 16 in Karnaprayag market in Chamoli district, where a dispute between local residents and a group of Nihang Sikhs escalated into violence, allegedly involving a sword attack. Several local residents and one Nihang Sikh were injured in the incident.

Police subsequently registered a case and arrested four Nihang Sikhs, who are currently in judicial custody.

Earlier, the arrests had also triggered a three-day standoff at the Nagrasu gurdwara in Rudraprayag district, where around half a dozen Nihangs climbed onto the roof of the shrine on June 20 and took an elderly man hostage, demanding the release of the arrested men. The shrine was vacated on June 23 following discussions between the local administration, the gurdwara management and a Sikh delegation from Punjab.