New Delhi, December 5
A man opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal while he was serving his penance at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The shooter was overpowered by Gurudwara security personnel and people present on the spot, police said.
The Amritsar police rushed to the spot and ensured former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab's safety.
The shooter was identified as Narain Singh from Gurdaspur district. Narain Singh Chaura is a Khalistani former militant who also faced many cases and remained underground. Chaura, who was active as a Panthic leader for some years, belongs to Dera Baba Nanak area.
Narain Chaura was the mastermind of the Burail jailbreak. Chaura had helped the Babbar Khalsa International terrorists, Jagtar Singh Hawara, and Paramjit Singh Bheora, along with their two accomplices Jagtar Singh Tara and Devi Singh, to escape from the Burail jail. He turned off the electricity supply of the jail for a long time
The incident was captured in cameras. The visuals from the spot show him slowly approaching the gate. Then he quickly brings out a gun. A man standing near Badal spots him in time and holds his hand. The gun goes off but misses Badal and others near him and hits the wall.
The police informed that Badal was performing 'sewadar' duties after the Akal Takht pronounced the 'tankhah' (religious punishment) for him and several other Akali Dal leaders for "mistakes" committed during the party's rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. He has been asked to serve as a 'sewadar', wash dishes and clean shoes at Golden Temple and several other gurdwaras.
Over the past two days, Badal has been sitting at the gate of Golden Temple with a spear in one hand and dressed in blue 'sewadar' uniform. The Akali Dal leader's leg is in a cast and he is in a wheelchair, police added.
