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Sukhbir Badal escapes life bid at Golden Temple
The suspect, Narain Singh Chaura, was arrested and investigations revealed that he was the mastermind of the 2004 Burail jailbreak, apart from being involved in a raft of terror cases since 1
Former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal escaped an assassination attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Wednesday after a 68-year-old man fired at him before being overpowered by a police officer, in an incident that triggered outrage, posed questions about the security setup, and threatened to trigger turmoil in a state that fought militancy for decades.
The suspect, Narain Singh Chaura, was arrested and investigations revealed that he was the mastermind of the 2004 Burail jailbreak, apart from being involved in a raft of terror cases since 1992.
Police said they were working to ascertain if Chaura was working as a “lone wolf” or if a larger conspiracy was at play. The attempted murder sparked national outrage, with senior political leaders condemning the incident and hitting out at the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration even as the state government commended the Punjab Police for its “swift action”.
Badal, who suffered a foot fracture weeks ago and is currently wheelchair-bound, was performing his second day of duty as a “sewadar” in uniform at the main entrance of the Golden Temple as part of penance prescribed to him by the Akal Takht – the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs – for “mistakes” the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government committed between 2007 and 2017.
He took his spot at 9.05am and was surrounded by 20-25 people.
Chaura entered the temple complex around 9.20am. He washed his feet at an ablution tank two-and-a-half metres away from the senior SAD leader, and pulled out a pistol.
The shooter was about eight feet away from Badal when he tried to open fire, before being overpowered by an alert police officer, Jasvir Singh. Singh grabbed Chaura’s hands, who shot into the air, 7-8feet above Badal. Meanwhile, several people standing around him formed a cordon, while others began to thrash the 68-year-old shooter.
Volunteers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), responsible for management of the gurdwara, and other police personnel snatched the man’s pistol.
Badal, on a wheelchair, continued to perform penance surrounded by dozens of people.
After wrapping up duty at the gate an hour later, he washed utensils at the shrine’s community kitchen. Later, his wife and the SAD’s Bathinda lawmaker Harsimrat Kaur Badal joined him and performed sewa there.
Other SAD leaders, including Bikram Singh Majithia, who were also made to atone, performed sewa at the shrine complex.
Police said that Chaura, who hails from Dera Baba Nanak town in Gurdaspur district, was spotted on CCTV footage in the Temple on Tuesday as well.
Punjab Police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the security apparatus around the temple was shored up.
Badal has Z-plus cover that includes 36 personnel with 10+ CRPF commandos. At the time of the attack, none of his central security detail was visibly present near him.
“A first information report (FIR) has been registered. The matter is being investigated,” he said, stressing that 200 Punjab Police officers were on duty at the Temple.
Chaura was wanted by the Punjab Police in nearly a dozen terror-related cases. He was allegedly associated with organisations such as the Akal Federation and the Khalistan Liberation Force.
The long-time militant is the “only known” member of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) — a Sikh militant outfit — living in India, police officers said. He has been out on bail since 2022 in an Arms Act case.
According to a Punjab Police dossier, Chaura crossed over to Pakistan after Operation Bluestar in June 1984, and was instrumental in smuggling large consignments of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy in the border state.
During his stay in Pakistan, the postgraduate in political science allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and wrote “seditious” literature. He was initially affiliated with the radical outfit Akal Federation, but kept shifting groups during his time in Pakistan. He joined the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and later founded the Khalistan Liberation Army, a militant outfit, and remained its self-styled chief.
More recently, Chaura was linked with pro-Khalistan group Dal Khalsa. Since 1992, Chaura has been named in 25 terror cases, but was acquitted in 18 due to a lack of evidence.
In 2004, Chaura was instrumental in the escape of Babbar Khalsa outfit terrorists Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora and their accomplices from Burail jail in Chandigarh. He threw a large metal chain on the power lines outside the prison to disrupt power inside the jail while the inmates escaped by digging a tunnel, according to the police.
All those escaped in the jailbreak were facing trial for the assassination of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.
Condemning the incident, chief minister Mann ordered the police to probe the attack and lauded officers for overpowering the attacker.
“Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today,” he posted on X. “The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot with their promptness.”
The AAP leader alleged the attack was a conspiracy to defame the state and its people.
“It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed,” he said.
The attack kicked off a major political slugfest.
The SAD accused the AAP government of targeting its critics, calling for a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the matter over the shooter’s alleged connection to pro-Khalistan groups.
“As per preliminary reports, the attacker has Khalistani connections,” said senior SAD leader Naresh Gujral.
“We want an inquiry by the NIA and that the people and forces involved in this be revealed and interrogated. Only then will there be peace in Punjab,” he said.
“If a person with Z-category security can be attacked, what safety can a common man expect in Punjab?” BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said, targeting the Mann government over the state’s “deteriorating law and order.
“In a sensitive border state like Punjab, where security should be a top priority, Mann has failed the people of Punjab on all fronts,” Chugh added.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the incident exposed the state government’s negligence. “This should not have happened. I consider firing at Sukhbir Singh Badal, 100% negligence of the government,” Warring was quoted as saying by ANI. “This shows the state of law and order in Punjab.”
