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2 attacks in 2 years, 2 escapes: Sukhbir Singh Badal attack in Nanded reminiscent of close call in Amritsar
Sukhbir Singh Badal survived an assassination attempt while performing sewa at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 4 December, 2024.
The former Punjab deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday survived another attack, this time outside a gurdwara in Maharashtra.
The incident comes less than two years after Badal survived an assassination attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024.
Badal was reportedly attacked by a Nihang at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur on the outskirts of Nanded district. He sustained an injury to his hand and was rushed to the nearby Yashosai Hospital for treatment.
2024 assassination bid at Golden Temple
The latest incident is the second reported attack on Badal in less than two years.
On December 4, 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt while performing sewa at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He was serving a religious punishment, or tankhah, pronounced by the Sikh clergy over “mistakes” during the SAD's 2007-17 rule in Punjab.
The shooter, former militant Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly approached Badal and fired at him from close range.
As reported by HT at that time, the bullet missed Badal after a security volunteer intervened and grabbed Chaura's hands, causing the shot to hit a wall around six feet from where Badal was sitting. No one was injured in the incident and Chaura was overpowered and arrested.
Badal was serving religious punishment
At the time of the 2024 attack, Badal was carrying out his punishment as a sewadar, or volunteer, outside the Golden Temple.
He was seated in a wheelchair and wore the blue sewadar uniform while holding a spear in one hand. Badal had been serving the punishment after the Sikh clergy pronounced a tankhah against him over decisions taken during the Akali Dal's tenure in Punjab.
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The 2024 attack was captured on cameras covering the second day of Badal's penance. Footage showed Chaura walking towards Badal before pulling a gun from his pocket. A volunteer standing near the SAD chief quickly intervened and grabbed him as he fired, allowing Badal to escape unharmed.
Badal, who had a fractured leg at the time, continued with his religious duty after the failed assassination attempt.
Attacked outside Nanded gurdwara
The latest attack took place around 15 km from Gurdwara Nanded Sahib, one of the five Takhts, or temporal seats, of Sikhism. Badal was reportedly heading towards the langar hall after paying obeisance when a Nihang attacked him with a kirpan.
The gurdwara is controlled by a Nihang samparday and is not managed by the board that oversees the main Nanded Sahib gurdwara.
Badal had arrived in Nanded on Wednesday with his family and a group of close associates for a three-day visit. He was inside the gurdwara with his wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is also a SAD MP, when the incident took place.
