Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday escaped a brazen assassination attempt in Golden Temple when a former terrorist fired at him from a close range. However, the missed as a plainclothes policeman overpowered the assailant. He was identified as Narain Singh Chaura.
Badal, a ‘Z Plus’ protectee, who was serving as a guard at the Temple entrance as part of a religious punishment, is safe. Videos showed the wheelchair-bound leader, in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform and holding a spear in one hand and a small board hung around his neck, acknowledging his “misdeeds”.
The attack, which took place around 9:30 am, was captured on cameras of media persons who had gathered to cover the second day of Badal performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ outside the shrine as penance for “mistakes” committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Television footage showed the shooter slowly walking towards Badal (62), who was sitting in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulling out a gun from his pocket. The weapon is reportedly a sophisticated 9mm pistol and sources said prima facie it appeared to be a lone wolf attack.
A police official in plainclothes standing near Badal quickly grabbed the attacker’s hands and pushed him away. In the melee, a bullet hit the shrine’s entrance wall behind Badal, who escaped unhurt.
Soon other security personnel and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members also intervened. Badal continued his penance after the attack, with a security ring thrown around him. His wife and Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal also reached the Golden Temple to meet him
The shooter Narain Singh Chaura, is a resident of Dera Baba Nanak, and a former terrorist owing allegiance to Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). After the attack, he was taken away by security officials, and arrested.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the attack on Badal was foiled because of the alertness of police. Police official Rashpal Singh noticed Chaura first, as he is a former terrorist and has a criminal history.
When Chaura whipped out his weapon, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jasbir Singh and another police official, Parminder Singh, held Chaura’s hands and as a result, the bullet went upwards, said the commissioner. “Narain Singh Chaura has been arrested and an FIR has been registered against him. The weapon used in the attack has been recovered,” Bhullar said, adding that the case will be investigated from all angles.
The motive behind the attack will be ascertained after Chaura’s questioning. He came alone to the Golden Temple, he said. Responding to a question, Bhullar said the security deployment at the shrine was sufficient. Police cannot carry out frisking because religious sentiments are involved, he said.
Detailed security deployment had been made at the Golden Temple complex. Around 175 police personnel led by an assistant inspector general have been deployed there, he said. ASI Jasbir Singh, whose brave act won him praise from all quarters, told reporters that he was only performing his duty.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Harpal Singh said police were alert and had been keeping an eye on the accused. “We had covered Sukhbir ji,” he said. Chaura was here on Tuesday as well, the officer said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed police to thoroughly investigate the incident while opposition parties demanded his resignation over the “breakdown” of law and order in the state. Mann lauded police for their promptness in nabbing the attacker and termed it a “great success”. He said “Punjab Police prevented a major incident today. It is the result of the promptness of Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed,” he said.
“I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal ji. I have issued strict instructions to police to immediately investigate the incident and submit a report,” he added.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh said it was not an attack on Badal but on the ‘sewadar’ who was performing his duty outside the Golden Temple. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said the “targeting” of Badal while performing religious service at the holy shrine was “extremely saddening” and “immoral”.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who is also undergoing religious punishment, demanded Mann’s resignation over the incident. “For Punjab, this is a big incident. Where are we taking the state? I want to ask the Punjab chief minister where Punjab is headed. It is a 100 per cent failure of law and order. The chief minister should resign,” he told reporters. Cheema also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
