A man opened fire at Sukhbir Badal at the entrance of Golden Temple yesterday
New Delhi, Chandigarh:
The assassination attempt on Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal during his penance at Golden Temple yesterday has raised a political storm, with the Opposition party alleging a “state-sponsored attack” aimed at eliminating the “moderate leadership” of Sikhs.
The former Deputy Chief Minister is serving penance on the orders of Akal Takht for mistakes committed during the Akali Dal regime in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. He was performing sewadar duties at the entrance of Golden Temple yesterday when a man approached him and whipped out a firearm. The cops and devotees overpowered him. A bullet was fired but it hit the wall. The attacker has been identified as Narain Singh Chaura, who has links with Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa.
Amid the Opposition’s criticism of Punjab’s law and order situation, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the attack and stressed that it was the police’s alertness that foiled it. Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar praised the cops for their swift response and underlined the challenges in deploying security personnel at the temple. He made another remark which has sparked a massive row. The top cop said they are also probing if the attack was orchestrated to generate a sympathy wave for the Akali Dal leader.
Akalis Step Up Attack
Senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has released a video and said senior police officer Harpal Singh was seen shaking hands with the shooter the day before the attack. “Why is an SP of Punjab Police shaking hands with someone who has a (criminal) history? if they had 175 police personnel there, why wasn’t this guy caught?” he told NDTV. Mr Majithia also slammed the Amritsar police commissioner for his ‘sympathy wave’ remark. “Mr Bhullar, the uniform will not stay forever, but will you be able to face people and look them in the eye?”
Former minister Daljit Singh Cheema told NDTV, “It was a state-sponsored attack. There is a conspiracy to eliminate the moderate leadership of Sikhs.”
In a direct attack on Chief Minister Mann, Mr Majithia drew parallels with the 2022 murder of singer Sidhu Moose Wala after his security cover was withdrawn. “You got Sidhu Moose Wala murdered by withdrawing his security. Anyone who opposes Bhagwant Mann seems to be on his list of targets,” he alleged.
The Congress and the BJP have slammed the attack on Mr Badal and pointed to the deterioration of Punjab’s law and order situation. State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, however, disagreed with the Akalis charge of a conspiracy to eliminate its leadership.
“People will tell you whether there is a plot to finish Akali Dal leadership but I think there is nothing personal like that. A man, the individual who did that – who is he, who is he associated with, what institution he is affiliated to… what he had in mind and with what hatred he did that… We have condemned it that this should not happen… Where did this idea of eliminating Akali leaders come from?” he asked.
AAP’s Response
Chief Minister Mann has strongly condemned the attack. “Alertness of cops foiled the attack. We have asked the police to conduct an in-depth investigation and we are looking at regular updates.”
AAP supremo backed the party’s Punjab Chief Minister and praised state police for averting a tragedy. “A very big tragedy was averted today because of the excellent work of the Punjab Police. I commend their alertness, which has set an example for the entire country on how to maintain law and order,” said the former Delhi chief minister.
Mr Kejriwal said while the BJP talks about the Punjab incident, it remains silent on crime in the national capital. “In Punjab, we managed to prevent a tragedy. But in Delhi, murder cases are rising, shootouts are taking place in broad daylight, and women are being raped. The entire capital is in the grip of gangsters. Yet, the entire BJP leadership remains silent,” he said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh trashed the Akali Dal’s “state-sponsored attack” charge. “Punjab Police personnel risked their lives to save Badal Sahab. These are just rubbish claims. Punjab police are investigating and the BJP should stop politicising such sensitive issues.”
