Narain Singh Chaura attempted to murder Sukhbir Badal at the Golden Temple.

Narain Singh Chaura Attempts to Murder Sukhbir Badal at the Golden Temple

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: December 04, 2024

Summary: A man opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir while he was serving his penance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, the head of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), was shot at by a man Wednesday morning at the Golden Temple gate in Amritsar. Badal was in his wheelchair at the Golden Temple's entrance, carrying out his penance while wearing a blue "sewadar" costume. The people who were present there overpowered the shooter and the situation was soon taken under control.

The Akal Takht declared the 'tankhah' (religious penalty) for Badal and several other Akali Dal leaders for "mistakes" made during the party's leadership in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. Badal, 62, is now carrying out his ' sewadar' duties at the Golden Temple and some other gurdwaras. He has been asked to do the duties of a "sewadar," clean shoes, and wash dishes.

The event took place when Sukhbir Badal was serving his “Sewadar” duties at the gate, and suddenly a man identified as Narain Singh Chaura, a resident of the Gurdaspur district, came forward and removed his gun to shoot.

Just in time, a man standing beside Mr. Badal notices him and takes his hand. The pistol goes off, strikes the wall, and misses Mr. Badal and those around him. Police are looking into the motives behind the awful crime, and the gunman has been taken into custody.

ADCP Harpal Singh said, “There were proper security arrangements here. Sukhbir Ji was properly given cover. Narayan Singh Chaura (assailant) was here yesterday as well. Today too, he first paid obeisance to the Guru.” "Security arrangements were proper. The person (shooter) tried to do some mischief but he could not succeed.”

Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, addressed the incident and said, “The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot promptly. I appreciate the promptness of the police. I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal Ji. I have issued strict instructions to the police to immediately investigate the incident and submit a report."

He said the alertness of police officers failed a "conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis." Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said police officers Rishpal Singh, Jasbir, and Parminder Singh overcame the situation on time.

"We cannot deploy cops in uniform because of religious feelings. It is difficult to frighten people too. We did what was possible and the result shows how prepared we were. I congratulate the officers for rising to the occasion."

Narain Singh has ties to Babbar Khalsa, a Khalistani terrorist organization. He was also behind the Burail jailbreak case, termed the mastermind. With his help, four prisoners escaped the prison by digging a 104-foot tunnel. The four prisoners were former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh's assassins, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara, Babbar Khalsa chief Jagtar Singh Hawara, and a murder convict, Devi Singh.

Sukhbir Badal has already acknowledged his mistakes in front of the Akal Takth. During the SAD government, one such mistake was the pardoning of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, in a 2007 blasphemy case. Nearly three months after he was found guilty of religious misbehavior (tankhaiya), the Akal Takht imposed the punishment.