Sukhbir Badal escapes assassination bid

Amritsar: A Khalistan sympathiser associated with the radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa on Wednesday opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar when the former deputy CM of Punjab was sitting on “punishment” guard duty.

The assailant was overpowered by three police personnel in civil dress positioned there for the security of the Akali leader.

In a video, wheelchair-bound Sukhbir Badal was seen in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform holding a spear and at point-blank range as the shooter whipped out the gun. However, the policemen were swift to react and overpowered the assailant.

The shooter has been identified as Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly a former militant, who faces many cases and was accused in the sensational Burail jailbreak case in Chandigarh in 2004, where four undertrials, three of them assassins of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, escaped from the jail by digging a tunnel.

Chaura slowly approached Sukhbir Badal, donning a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform and sitting at the entrance of the Golden Temple with a plaque card around his neck as part of the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment), and opened fire at Badal. However, a policeman standing nearby pushed the assailant’s hand upside, thus saving the Akali Dal leader.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Harpal Singh told the media that proper security arrangements were in place and he was himself present on site.

Sixty-two-year-old Badal was performing ‘sewadar’ duties after the Akal Takht pronounced the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) for him and several other Akali Dal leaders for “mistakes” committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

As part of the punishment, Sukhbir Badal and his former colleagues in the then cabinet were ordered to clean toilets, serve “langar” (community kitchen), perform daily prayers and recite Sukhmani Sahib. Placards were also placed around their necks as part of the sentence.