Amritsar: A former terrorist on Wednesday opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal from a close range at the Golden Temple here but missed as he was overpowered by a plainclothes policeman and subsequently whisked away.
The audacious attack, which took place around 9:30 am, was captured on cameras of mediapersons who had gathered to cover the second day of Badal performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ outside the Sikh shrine as penance for “mistakes” committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Television footage showed the shooter slowly walking towards Badal (62), who was sitting in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulling out a gun from his pocket.
A police official in plainclothes standing near Badal quickly grabbed the attacker’s hands and pushed him away. In the melee, a bullet hit the shrine’s entrance wall behind Badal, who escaped unhurt.
Soon other security personnel and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members also intervened.
The former deputy chief minister is a Z+ protectee.
Police identified the shooter as Narain Singh Chaura, a resident of Dera Baba Nanak and a former terrorist. After the attack, he was arrested taken away by security officials and arrested.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the attack on Badal was foiled because of the alertness of police.
Police official Rashpal Singh noticed Chaura first as he is a former terrorist and has a criminal history. When Chaura whipped out his weapon, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jasbir Singh and another police official, Parminder Singh, held Chaura’s hands and as a result, the bullet went upwards, said the commissioner.
“Narain Singh Chaura has been arrested and an FIR has been registered against him. The weapon used in the attack has been recovered,” Bhullar said, adding that the case will be investigated from all angles.
The motive behind the attack will be ascertained after Chaura’s questioning. He came alone to the Golden Temple, he said.
Responding to a question, Bhullar said the security deployment at the shrine was sufficient. Police cannot carry out frisking because religious sentiments are involved, he said.
Detailed security deployment had been made at the Golden Temple complex. Around 175 police personnel led by an assistant inspector general have been deployed there, he said.
ASI Jasbir Singh, whose brave act won him praise from all quarters, told reporters that he was only performing his duty.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Harpal Singh said police were alert and had been keeping an eye on the accused. “We had covered Sukhbir ji,” he said.
Chaura was here on Tuesday as well, the officer said.
Special Director General of Police Arpit Shukla told PTI that more than 20 cases are registered against Chaura.
He was involved in the 2004 Burail jailbreak case. He helped terrorists Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and two others escape from prison, Shukla said.
Badal was undergoing religious punishment announced by the Akal Takht. He continued his penance after the attack, with a security ring thrown around him.
Holding a spear in one hand and dressed in blue ‘sewadar’ uniform, the SAD leader sat at the entrance of the Golden Temple. A small board hung around his neck, acknowledging his “misdeeds”.
Badal’s wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal reached the Golden Temple to meet her husband.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed police to thoroughly investigate the incident while opposition parties demanded his resignation over the “breakdown” of law and order in the state.
Mann lauded police for their promptness in nabbing the attacker and termed it a “great success”.
“Punjab Police prevented a major incident today. It is the result of the promptness of Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed,” he said.
“I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal ji. I have issued strict instructions to police to immediately investigate the incident and submit a report,” he added.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh said it was not an attack on Badal but on the ‘sewadar’ who was performing his duty outside the Golden Temple.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said the “targeting” of Badal while performing religious service at the holy shrine was “extremely saddening” and “immoral”.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who is also undergoing religious punishment, demanded Mann’s resignation over the incident.
“For Punjab, this is a big incident. Where are we taking the state? I want to ask the Punjab chief minister where Punjab is headed. It is a 100 per cent failure of law and order. The chief minister should resign,” he told reporters.
Cheema also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said if Badal can be shot at, then anybody can be harmed.
He said law and order in Punjab has broken down.
Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned the incident.
Senior Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, “The attack on Sukhbir Badal outside Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, is deeply unfortunate and unequivocally condemnable. Such acts of violence have no place in our society. Such incidents undermine the very fabric of our democratic values and societal harmony”.
“The incident is a stark reminder of the need for responsible discourse and vigilance in Punjab. It is imperative that we, as a society, reflect on the underlying causes and ensure that our responses are measured and constructive,” he said.
