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Chandigarh, August 14
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Friday that he was not afraid following an attack on him at a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, and accused those behind the incident of trying to disturb peace in Punjab. Speaking to the media after being discharged from hospital, Badal thanked the Almighty for saving him and said those seeking to create unrest in Punjab would not succeed.
“They do not want peace in Punjab. Their mission is to take control of the situation in Punjab and disturb the peace,” he said. “As president of the Akali Dal, I will never allow this.”
Badal said he and his father, former Punjab Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, had never allowed anyone to disturb peace in the state.
He said both attacks on him had taken place at Sikh religious sites, referring to the latest incident at Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded and the December 2024 attack at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
“I am neither afraid nor have I ever been afraid. I want to say the Shiromani Akali Dal stands with Punjab,” Badal said.
The SAD chief was injured on Thursday when a man allegedly approached him near the staircase of Mata Sahib Gurdwara and tried to attack him with a kirpan. He suffered an injury to his right hand and was taken to a private hospital.
Superintendent of Police Nilabh Rohan said yesterday that Badal had visited the gurdwara at around 2pm. According to the police, a local sewadar approached him as he was returning from the shrine and attempted the attack.
A police inspector deployed for Badal’s security intervened and stopped the attacker, sustaining a minor injury in the process, Rohan said. The attacker, aged around 60-62, was taken into custody and is being questioned.
Police said the man had been working as a sewadar at the gurdwara for about two years. Earlier reports identified him as Jaspal Singh, a law graduate and practising advocate. Police said he had no criminal record.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Bathinda MP and Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal to enquire about his health. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the attack and said violence over political or ideological differences had no place in a democracy. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also spoke to Harsimrat Kaur Badal and wished her husband a speedy recovery.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema described the incident as a “massive intelligence and security failure” and said the earlier attack on Badal had not been properly investigated. Another party leader, Bikram Singh Majithia, demanded a CBI inquiry and called for investigators to examine whether the two incidents were connected.
The Nanded incident is the second reported attack on Badal in less than two years. In December 2024, he survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple while serving as a volunteer as part of a religious penance. Former militant Narain Singh Chaura allegedly opened fire at him from close range, but a security officer intervened and the bullet struck a wall.
The latest incident comes days after Badal met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on August 7. The meeting fuelled speculation about a possible rapprochement between the SAD and BJP ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. The BJP has said it will contest the polls independently.
The North News
