SAD leader Majithia alleges conspiracy behind attack on Sukhbir Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday, August 13, condemned what he called a "murderous" attack on party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal inside a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, alleging it was a planned conspiracy to eliminate the party's moderate leadership, and sought a CBI probe.

A Nihang attacked former Punjab deputy chief minister Badal with a kirpan inside the gurdwara, Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan told PTI.

The assailant has been taken into custody, and Badal has been admitted to a hospital, the officer said. A local official said Badal received two to three stitches on his hand and that his condition was stable.

Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, Majithia, who is Badal's brother-in-law, said the SAD chief had survived two close-range assassination attempts, which he attributed to divine grace.

He said the Nanded attacker first struck Badal's hand before attempting to target his chest with the weapon, and said Punjab's political landscape could have looked very different had bystanders not intervened.

He questioned who wanted Badal dead and why, framing it as an attempt to silence Punjab's voice for Hindu-Sikh unity and communal harmony.

Majithia referred to an earlier attack on Badal in Amritsar in December 2024, saying the attacker in that case, Narain Singh Chaura, had multiple criminal cases registered against him.

He alleged a common link between Chaura and the Nanded attacker, saying both attacks shared the same objective of killing Badal and were part of a broader conspiracy to eliminate Punjab's moderate political voice.

He compared the situation to 1992, when he said moderate leadership in the state had similarly been targeted, alleging the same pattern was repeating.

Majithia alleged that forces benefiting from unrest, drug trade and divisive politics in Punjab did not want a party like the Akali Dal to survive, given its focus on border-area peace, national unity and Hindu-Sikh brotherhood.

The former Punjab minister demanded that the Centre hand over investigation of both the Punjab and Maharashtra attacks to the CBI, asking that the agency examine whether the two incidents shared a common conspiracy, local facilitation or involvement of foreign handlers.

He also sought accountability for what he called an intelligence failure, questioning why Maharashtra authorities were not alerted following the first attack, and demanded immediate upgrading of security for Badal, his family and the SAD leadership, saying there could be no further delay.