The Nihang who allegedly attacked Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal inside a gurdwara near Maharashtra’s Nanded city on Thursday hails from Pune, police said.
The accused, Jaspal Singh, 63, was serving as a sewadar at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat for the past two years, said a senior official.
Nanded superintendent of police Neelabh Rohan said a case of attempt to murder had been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
‘’We have arrested him, and interrogation is underway. We are checking his background. Initially, he said he was angry about the drug problem in Punjab. But the exact reason for the attack will be revealed only after a detailed investigation. He also told the police that he had received a sudden direction from the Almighty and resorted to attacking Sukhbir. We have also not come across any gang connection or criminal background of the attacker so far,” the SP said.
The gurdwara where the incident took place is a historic shrine managed by a splinter group of the Shiromani Panth Akali Budha Dal, of the major Nihang organisation, headed by Baba Maan Singh. The local head of the group at Nanded gurdwara is Baba Teja Singh.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter along with the police, the SP said, adding that Sukhbir’s condition was stable and he was undergoing treatment at nearby Yashosai hospital.
{{/usCountry}}The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter along with the police, the SP said, adding that Sukhbir’s condition was stable and he was undergoing treatment at nearby Yashosai hospital.
{{/usCountry}}Jaspal holds degrees in commerce and law and is based in Pune with his family, said the SP, adding that he was staying alone in Nanded.
“He had worked at the manager level in Hindustan Unilever in Mumbai, and after retirement he joined sewa in the gurdwara and wore Nihang attire,” the SP said.
The SP said security had been beefed up at all the gurdwaras in Nanded, including the main gurdwara, Sachkhand Nanded Sahib, following the incident, while all the family members of the SAD leader had been placed under active protection.
“Sukhbir Badal is a Z-plus protectee, and we offered him all the security arrangements as per the protocol. Even before the incident, we had attached two deputy SPs with him and other junior officials from the local police along with his Z-plus staff,” the SP said, asserting that there had been no security lapse.
Inspector Santosh Kendre of Maharashtra Police, who intervened to save Sukhbir from the attack, was also injured, the SP said.
Sukhbir, a former Punjab deputy chief minister, was attacked around 1.45 pm at the gurdwara, about 15 km from Nanded. He was rushed to hospital, where he received two to three stitches on his right hand. The SAD president is likely to be discharged on Friday and will join his family for the Bhog ceremony of the Akhand Path.
Dr Devendra Paliwal, a senior doctor in Yashosai Hospital who performed the surgery, said Sukhbir was hit with a sharp-edged weapon with full force, causing a four-inch-long and equally deep cut on his right forearm that injured the tendons and muscles.
“The ulna bone has also suffered a fracture. He is out of danger now and is with his family. It will take three weeks for him to recover fully,” the doctor said.