BATHINDA: Twenty months after an attack on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, he came under another attack at a gurdwara in Nanded Sahib town of Maharashtra on Thursday.Sukhbir Badal sustained an injury to his right forearm and was rushed to a private hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable. He underwent a minor surgery. A Nihang Singh, identified as Jaspal Singh, is learnt to have carried out the attack. Before the incident, the Nihang was walking closely with Sukhbir Badal. The attacker was taken into custody immediately after the attack.Sukhbir Badal, along with his family, including Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, their daughters, son-in-law and son, was on a visit to Nanded Sahib to pay obeisance at the Takhat (temporal seat of the Sikhs). He was inside the premises of Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur when the Nihang allegedly attacked him with a khanjar (sharp-edged weapon) at around 1.50 pm.The attacker allegedly tried to stab Sukhbir in the chest, but he shielded himself by raising his arm and sustained an injury to his forearm. Apart from Sukhbir, a Maharashtra Police security guard was also injured while trying to stop the attacker. Before visiting the gurdwara, located on the outskirts of Nanded, Sukhbir and his family had paid obeisance at Takhat Sri Hazur Sahib.Being a Z-Plus protectee, Sukhbir was accompanied by a posse of central security personnel, an AIG-rank officer from Punjab Police, and a team from Maharashtra Police.A member of the Punjab security team accompanying Sukhbir said that the Nihang was walking close to Badal and narrating the history of the gurdwara when he suddenly pulled out a weapon and attacked him, causing an injury to his right forearm.Earlier, on December 4, 2024, an attack was made on Sukhbir Badal while he was performing the duty of a sewadar outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Narayan Singh Chaura, an ex-militant, had come close to Sukhbir and fired at him. The shot missed its target as security personnel overpowered the attacker.Shiromani Akali Dal functionary and former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha told TOI that it was a deep-rooted conspiracy to eliminate Sukhbir Singh Badal, as the SAD was emerging as a contender to regain power in the 2027 Assembly elections.“The earlier attack at the gate of the Golden Temple also points towards a similar conspiracy, as that incident was not taken seriously and an impartial investigation was not conducted. We demand a high-level probe,” he said.He further alleged that a particular political party was uncomfortable with reports of a possible alliance between the SAD and the BJP, though whether such an alliance materialises remains a separate issue.Former minister Daljit Singh Cheema also termed the attack on Sukhbir Badal a deep-rooted conspiracy. He said the attack on the party president was carried out with the intention of killing him.SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kaler, while condemning the attack, said the Maharashtra government should take the matter seriously and ensure a thorough investigation.Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon also condemned the attack, calling it highly reprehensible. He said the incident was even more serious because it occurred within the premises of a gurdwara. He expressed confidence that the Maharashtra government would conduct an impartial investigation.Meanwhile, hardliners opined that anger against Sukhbir Singh Badal had not subsided over the incidents of sacrilege and the killing of two protesters at Behbal Kalan on October 14, 2015, during the SAD-BJP government.
