Man fires shots at Sukhbir Badal as he serves ‘punishment’ as guard outside Golden Temple

Police sources said CCTV footage showed that Chaura was at the Golden Temple on Tuesday too, when Badal and other Akali leaders began the religious punishment ordered by the Akal Takht over “mistakes” made by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. They are required to perform these duties for 10 consecutive days.

Wednesday’s attack, which took place at around 9:30 am, was captured on camera as several mediapersons had gathered at the spot to cover the second day of Badal performing the duty of “sevadar”.

#WATCH | Punjab: Bullets fired at Golden Temple premises in Amritsar where SAD leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, are offering ‘seva’ under the religious punishments pronounced for them by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on 2nd December.

Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/CFQaoiqLkx

— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2024

Video clips of the incident showed Chaura slowly walking up to Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulling out a gun from his pocket. A police officer in plainclothes, later identified as Badal’s PSO (personal security officer) and Assistant Sub-Inspector Jasbir Singh, reacted instantly, quickly reaching for Chaura’s weapon and pushing him back. Additional personnel then quickly overpowered Chaura.

At his home in Dera Baba Nanak, Chaura’s wife, Jasmeet Kaur, told reporters: “He left home at 6 am. He told me that he was going to attend a religious function. I only came to know about the attack from the media.”

After the incident, Badal continued his “punishment”.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who arrived at the Golden Temple after the attack, said the accused had been arrested and interrogation was underway.

“Police officer Rashpal Singh was the first to notice Chaura, who has a criminal history, and followed him. When Chaura pulled out his weapon, police officer Jasbir Singh grabbed him, causing him to miss his target. An FIR has been registered and the matter is being investigated,” he said.

“The assassination bid was thwarted because of the alertness of the police… We had deployed 175 police personnel for security at the Golden Temple,” he said.

“We have recovered a 9mm pistol from Chaura. We are investigating all angles, including the organisation or political angle behind the act,” Bhullar said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Amritsar Rural) Harpal Singh said: “The accused has been taken into custody. We will know the motive only after interrogation.”

While Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed police to thoroughly investigate the incident, Opposition parties demanded his resignation over the “breakdown” of law and order in the state.

“Punjab Police prevented a major incident today. The alertness of the Punjab Police thwarted a conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis,” Mann said. “I strongly condemn the attack… I have directed the police to investigate the incident and submit a report,” he added.

Condemning the attack, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh said: “This is not an attack on Sukhbir Badal only. It is an attack on the sevadar who was standing on duty assigned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib. We condemn this attack. The government must investigate who is behind it.”

“This is a place where we come for forgiveness of our sins, not to commit new sins. I condemn this incident and demand a probe into it. Badal has to perform seva at other places also, so his security must be assured,” SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said.

Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, who is also undergoing religious punishment, demanded Mann’s resignation over the incident. “For Punjab, this is a big incident. Where are we taking the state? I want to ask the Punjab Chief Minister where Punjab is headed. It is a 100 per cent failure of law and order. The Chief Minister should resign,” he told reporters. He also demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Blaming the AAP government, Sukhbir’s brother-in-law and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said: “It can be seen that Chaura conducted a recce on Tuesday too. Why did the police not arrest him… Anyone who opposes Bhagwant Mann joins his list of targets to be eliminated… Sidhu Moosewala was murdered after his security was withdrawn.”

Majithia also posted on X a purported CCTV footage of the Golden Temple premises on Tuesday which, he claimed, showed a police officer “shaking hands” with Chaura.

Senior Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said: “The attack… is deeply unfortunate and unequivocally condemnable. Such acts of violence have no place in our society. Such incidents undermine the very fabric of our democratic values and societal harmony.”

Also condemning the incident, Punjab BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal said: “Gunfire and violence have become disturbingly common under this lawless regime… Where is the government? Where is accountability?”

Earlier, in its chargesheet linked to the 2019 Tarn Taran blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had alleged a conspiracy to attack Badal inside the Golden Temple premises.