Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday recommended that Punjab Police’s Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jasbir Singh be conferred with the prestigious President’s Police Medal for his “exceptional courage and selfless devotion to duty” in preventing a tragic event. The recommendation comes about a month after an assassination attempt on Sukhbir Badal’s life on December 2 at the Shri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar.
Sukhbir, in a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, commended ASI Jasbir Singh’s heroics, emphasizing the pivotal role the officer played in saving his life. “It was only because of the blessings of the great Guru Sahiban and the grace of the Almighty that ASI Jasbir Singh happened to be present there that day,” wrote Sukhbir. He further praised ASI Jasbir Singh for demonstrating rare courage by risking his life to safeguard both the sanctity of the holy shrine and his own life in the face of grave danger.
Sukhbir’s letter also alluded to the broader conspiracy behind the assassination attempt. He suggested that those responsible for the attack were emboldened by powerful forces within the state, aiming to disrupt the peace and communal harmony that Punjab has long been known for. “The prevention of this tragic sequence of events was nothing short of providential,” Sukhbir remarked, hinting at the possibility of high-level patronage for those behind the attack.
Alongside her husband’s call for recognition of ASI Jasbir Singh’s bravery, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also written to Amit Shah, demanding a high-level judicial probe into the incident. In her letter, Harsimrat accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Government of fostering an environment that allowed such a plot to unfold.
She sharply criticized the Chief Minister’s administration for “provocative justifications” in relation to political violence and killings.
Further intensifying the controversy, Harsimrat highlighted that just moments before the assassination attempt, senior Punjab Police officers, including a Superintendent of Police (SP), were seen engaging with controversial figures, some with criminal backgrounds. Among them was Narain Singh Chaura, a notorious figure well known to law enforcement. These figures, according to Harsimrat, were allowed to move freely and were seemingly directed towards Sukhbir Badal. Shockingly, she pointed out that no plainclothes security officers were stationed around Sukhbir Badal at the time, leaving him vulnerable to the assassin’s attack.
Harsimrat’s letter underscored her belief that the attack was not a random act but a meticulously planned and sponsored conspiracy aimed at destabilizing Sikh leadership. “This was a premeditated act, designed to weaken and eliminate Sikh leadership, throwing the community into confusion and disarray,” she concluded.
