Spread the news
Chandigarh, August 13
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in an attack at a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling his wife, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, to enquire about his health.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into the incident, while police said the attacker was taken into custody immediately.
Superintendent of Police Nilabh Rohan, speaking to the media, said Badal visited Mata Sahib Gurdwara at around 2pm. While returning from the shrine, a local sewadar suddenly approached him near the staircase and allegedly tried to attack him with a kirpan.“Badal sustained an injury to his right hand,” Rohan said.
He added that an inspector deployed for security intervened and stopped the attack, suffering a minor injury in the process.The attacker, who is around 60-62 years old, was immediately taken into custody and is being questioned, the SP said. He had reportedly been working as a sewadar at the gurdwara for the past two years.
Earlier reports identified the attacker as Jaspal Singh, a law graduate and practising advocate. Police have said he had no criminal record. Badal was accompanied by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, supporters and security personnel when the incident took place. He was taken to a private hospital for treatment, with his injury described as minor.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the attack and said violence over ideological differences had no place in a democracy.
“The news of the attack on Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, is extremely disturbing,” Singh said. He added that he had spoken to Badal by phone to enquire about his health and wished him a speedy recovery.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also spoke to Harsimrat Kaur Badal by phone and enquired about her husband’s health, wishing Badal a speedy recovery.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema described the incident as particularly distressing because it was the second life-threatening attack on Badal in a short period.
Cheema called it a “massive intelligence and security failure” and alleged that the earlier attack on Badal in Amritsar had not been properly investigated.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia demanded a CBI probe and said investigators should examine whether the two attacks were connected.
SAD spokesperson and Legal Cell president Arshdeep Singh described the incident as an attempt on Badal’s life and urged people not to believe or circulate rumours while Maharashtra Police investigate.
BJP leader Kewal Singh Dhillon condemned the attack and said such incidents should not happen against any political party. He said the Maharashtra government had ordered an investigation and that one person had been arrested.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also expressed concern and urged the Union Home Ministry to intervene.
Abdullah said Badal had been targeted several times and suggested that there may have been a security lapse.
“These are very vulnerable personalities. There has been an attack before, and one cannot say that another attack cannot happen in the future,” he said.
The Nanded incident is the second reported attack on Sukhbir Badal in less than two years.In December 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar while serving as a sewadar as part of 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. Chaura was later arrested.
The latest attack comes days after Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on August 7. The meeting had fuelled speculation about a possible rapprochement between the SAD and BJP ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.
The BJP, however, has maintained that it will contest the Punjab polls independently
Dr Kiran Deep
