Dehradun, June 29 -- A zero FIR has been registered against Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) leader Ashish Negi for making a controversial remark over the recent clash between a few Nihang Sikhs returning from Hemkund Sahib and local residents in Karnaprayag of Chamoli district. The FIR was registered at Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh against Negi under section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of BNS on Saturday evening on the complaint of Paonta Sahib resident Paramjeet Singh Banga. The process to transfer the FIR to Dehradun for investigation is underway, the officials said. SP Sirmaur Nishchint Singh Negi said, "We have registered the zero FIR and begun the process to transfer it to Dehradun." In the purported remarks, the UKD leader said, "Those making such tall claims today will have to remember Operation Blue Star. If the Garhwal Rifles could enter there and successfully carry out the operation, and you are now challenging those very Garhwalis on their own soil..." Banga (57), a resident of Surajpur in Paonta Sahib, said Negi allegedly made remarks such as, "We can attack the Golden Temple again" and "I will remind you of Operation Blue Star." The complainant alleged that such statements directly insult the religious sentiments of Sikhs, as the Golden Temple is the holiest shrine of the Sikh faith. The complaint further alleged that Negi has been referring to Sikhs as "Khalistanis" without any basis is an attempt to spread hatred and derive political mileage. Banga stated that thousands of Sikh pilgrims from Paonta Sahib travel through Uttarakhand every year to visit Hemkund Sahib and alleged that Negi's purportedly provocative statements have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among members of the Sikh community. On June 16, a clash broke out between Nihang Sikhs returning from Hemkund Sahib and local residents following an altercation after a vehicle collision. Five people, including a Sikh pilgrim, were injured in the incident. The following day, police arrested four Nihang Sikhs after registering an FIR on the complaint of a local resident. A counter FIR was later lodged on June 20 against unidentified locals on the complaint of the father of an injured Sikh pilgrim, alleging that his son and others were assaulted during the incident. The arrests triggered a four-day standoff at the Nagrasu gurdwara in Rudraprayag, although the authorities denied any connection between the two incidents. The gurdwara management committee, however, had claimed that those camping at the shrine were seeking the release of the four arrested men. The issue resurfaced on June 25 when a large group of Nihang Sikhs from Punjab's Mohali attempted to enter Uttarakhand seeking the release of the four accused. While only a small group managed to breach police barricades at the Kulhal barrier on the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border and enter Dehradun, the standoff ended the following morning after senior officials persuaded them to return to Paonta Sahib A district and sessions court in Chamoli on Saturday granted bail to four Nihang Sikhs arrested in connection with the clash....