Gatka is a form of stick fighting in which two or more participants use wooden sticks, known as Soti, to imitate swords. At the time of the great Sikh Gurus, it was a fundamental form of self-defence for Sikh soldiers.
The Gatkabaaz practice it as a primary form of self-defence before choosing to use a sword or kirpan. For practice and safety purposes, the "Stick" and "Farri" are used in place of the sword and shield, respectively, in the Gatka game. When one exponent attacks, the other defends against it before attacking the player back. It consists of a variety of movements involving a footwork pattern as well as offensive and defensive talents.
Later in the 19th century, the current form was further refined into a sport, which has been practiced and played since 1920 in two sub-styles known as Virasat (traditional) and Khed (sport).
Nihang Sikh gave training to Punjab Police Personnel. This happened a few days after the police and Amritpal Singh's supporters clashed at the Ajnala Police Station. The police officers stationed at Sri Muktsar Sahib received instruction on how to disperse a mob armed with sticks in addition to learning Gatka.
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