Former militant tries to shoot Sukhbir Badal outside Golden Temple
Police have arrested the shooter, identified as Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly a former militant who faces several criminal cases and had evaded police so far
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was on Wednesday (December 4) shot at outside Amritsar’s Golden Temple, where he is serving a religious punishment pronounced by the Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Police have arrested the suspected shooter, identified as Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly a former militant who faces several criminal cases and had evaded the police so far.
Chaura was reportedly standing close to Badal when he opened fire. However, a ‘sewadar’ (volunteer) standing nearby reportedly spotted his move just in time to push his hand upwards, saving Badal from being shot.
CP credits police for foiled attempt
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told the media that it was an assassination attempt but had been foiled due to the alertness and deployment of the police.
"Our personnel Rishpal Singh, Jasbir, and Parminder displayed alertness and foiled the attempts. Narayan Singh Chaura, who has a criminal record, has been arrested and a case has been registered," he said.
He assured everyone that adequate arrangements had been made for Sukhbir Singh Badal's security "There were foolproof security arrangements. Deployment for a protectee is made following the threat perception. So, there was heavy deployment of police," he said.
"Several cases were registered against him (Chaura); arms were recovered from him in the past. We will have to check records," he added.
Also read: Plaque around neck, Sukhbir Badal undergoes ‘punishment’ at Golden Temple
SAD leaders’ punishment
Badal and other SAD leaders arrived at the Golden Temple on Tuesday to perform the duty of a ‘sewadar’ under ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) pronounced by the Akal Takht.
Badal, who is currently bound to a wheelchair because of a fracture, was widely photographed on Tuesday, sitting outside the Golden Temple, in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform and holding a spear in one hand, a board around his neck acknowledging their “sins”.
Another elderly Akali leader, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, also in a wheelchair because of age, faced the same punishment, while SAD leaders and former ministers Bikram Singh Majithia and Daljit Singh Cheema washed utensils and cleaned toilets.
The ‘tankhah’ has been issued for the “sins” committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
