SGPC President Allegedly Hugged Sukhbir Singh Badal's Shooter Before Golden Temple Shooting Incident, CCTV Footage Sought

Narain Singh Chaura, accused of shooting at former Deputy Punjab Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at Amritsar's Golden Temple has alleged that Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami hugged him before the incident.

On 4 December, Badal was unsuccessfully shot while serving as a guard outside the Golden Temple as a penance for sacrilege cases when Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was in power in Punjab. The accusations were made in Wednesday's (11 December) court hearing.

This information was disclosed by Chaura's attorney, Jaspal Singh Manjhpur while alleging that the SGPC is concealing essential CCTV footage pertinent to the event.

The police reported to the court that they had made several requests for CCTV footage from 2 to 4 December, but the SGPC had not complied. They have now officially requested the footage via the court.

Chaura, who has been in police custody since December 4, received an extension of his remand for an additional three days. He reportedly said that Dhami stopped and hugged him in the Darbar Sahib premises.

Kanwar Pal Singh, a leader of Dal Khalsa, backed the assertion, stating, "Dhami and Chaura knew each other. Considering Dhami's cordial ties with numerous ex-militants, it wouldn't be shocking if he embraced Chaura."

Dhami refuted any recognition of Chaura. In a statement to the press, he expressed, "In my role as SGPC president, I am approached by numerous individuals. I am unable to verify whether I had a meeting with him or not."

The court was notified by the police that Chaura's whereabouts were identified near the Pakistan border in Khemkaran on 1 December. The defense countered by stating that Chaura was present in the region to participate in an event, insisting they had proof to substantiate this claim.

Bikram Singh Majithia, a leader of the SAD (Badal), has openly discussed supposed connections between Chaura and high-ranking officials. He recently brought attention to a video that depicted Chaura in conversation with ADCP Harpal Singh prior to the alleged assault, intensifying doubts surrounding the event.