News Brief
Sukhbir Singh Badal Assassination Attempt: Attacker 'Has Criminal Record', Says Amritsar Police
Sukhbir Singh Badal as guard at Golden Temple
Amritsar Police on Wednesday (4 December) said that the man who fired at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple, has a criminal record.
The attacker, identified as Narain Singh Chaura, fired bullets at Badal while he was performing religious penance under the directives of Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar confirmed that the assailant has a criminal record, reported ANI.
“There are several cases registered against him in (Chaura), arms were recovered from him in the past. We will have to check records,” Bhullar said.
The Punjab Chief Minister’s Office stated that the attempt on Badal’s life was foiled by the police and that the SAD leader was unharmed.
Police personnel Rishpal Singh, Jasbir Singh, and Parminder Singh were credited for their vigilance in preventing the attack.
Bhullar praised their efforts, saying, “Due to the alertness and deployment of our police, this attack attempt was foiled. Our personnel displayed alertness and foiled the attempts. Narain Singh Chaura, who has a criminal record, has been arrested. A case has been registered. There were adequate arrangements for Sukhbir Singh Badal's security.”
At the time of the attack, Badal was seated at the Golden Temple’s entrance with a placard around his neck, undertaking ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) as directed by the Akal Takht.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami assured a thorough investigation.
“We will investigate this through our sources. I think he (the attacker) has been nabbed and taken away by the Police. Guru Ram Das saved Sukhbir Singh Badal...We are looking into the security arrangements,” Dhami said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took to X (formerly Twitter) to laud the Punjab Police and condemn the attack on Badal.
"Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today. It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed." he said.
"The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot with their promptness...I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal Ji. I have issued strict instructions to the police to immediately investigate the incident and submit a report." he added.
Meanwhile, security at the Golden Temple has been tightened.
