Day After Assassination Bid, Sukhbir Badal Performs ‘Seva’ At Anandpur Sahib Gurdwara

A day after an assassination attempt, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday arrived at Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib to perform ‘seva’.

Security has been heightened at the Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara following an attack on Mr Badal at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Wednesday.

The assailant, Narain Singh Chaura, attempted to shoot Mr Badal while he was performing ‘seva’. However, Mr Badal was unharmed, and the attacker was quickly overpowered and arrested.

Mr Badal was performing ‘seva’ at the Golden Temple after being declared a ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) in August by the Akal Takht. Akal Takht announced punishment for him due to the “mistakes” and “decisions” made by the SAD-led government in the state from 2007 to 2017. As part of his punishment, Mr Badal was sitting at the entrance of the Golden Temple with a placard around his neck indicating his status as a ‘tankhaiya’.

Following the attack, Bikram Singh Majithia, General Secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, criticized Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar for suggesting that Mr Badal might have orchestrated the incident himself to gain sympathy. Majithia accused Bhullar of making such remarks to protect his position and cover up his failure.

Police sources revealed that the attacker, Narain Singh Chaura is a hardcore Pakistan returned terrorist and former head of Akal Federation and had authored books on guerrilla warfare and other seditious materials.

“He was involved in smuggling of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the early years of militancy. He reportedly crossed into Pakistan in 1984 and remained there for several years before he returned to Punjab. During his stay in Pakistan, he was remotely in touch with radical organizations in Punjab and helping them,” said a senior official.

According to Amritsar Police, Chaura also had several cases registered against him.

“There are several cases registered against him (Chaura), arms were recovered from him in the past, we will have to check records,” Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said.

Multiple political leaders condemned the attack on Mr Badal, with the Congress claiming the Punjab government being negligent with security and Bharatiya Janata Party saying that the assassination attempt is “indicative of complete breakdown of law and order”.