NEW DELHI: Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Thursday attack in Nanded marks the second serious attempt on the Shiromani Akali Dal leader’s life. The SAD leader was also attacked two years ago at the Golden Temple when a gunman opened fire at him while Badal was serving religious punishment at the shrine.On December 4, 2024, Badal was attacked at the entrance of the temple, where he was seated in a wheelchair because of his fractured leg, during a penance ordered by the Akal Takht. Video footage from the incident shows the moment the attacker overpowered him within seconds.The footage showed him dressed in a blue sewadar uniform. He was stationed at the temple entrance as part of the punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht over alleged misconduct during his tenure from 2007 to 2017.As Badal sat with a placard around his neck, a man who was later identified as Narayan Singh Chaura approached him and opened fire. The attempt, however, was foiled almost immediately.In the clip, right after the gunman pulled out the weapon, an alert sewadar, believed to be a volunteer associated with an Akali leader, intervened and pushed the assailant’s arm upward as he attempted to fire. The bullet was discharged harmlessly into the air, and the attacker was quickly overpowered by volunteers and others present at the scene.Police personnel stationed at the shrine also moved in and apprehended Chaura on the spot. Confirming the swift response, ADCP Harpal Singh said, “No one was injured in the attack.”It was not long after the attempted attack that other sewadars present at the scene assembled together to create a human shield around Badal.Despite the dramatic shooting attempt, Badal remained calm.Still seated in his wheelchair, he continued performing his duties as a sewadar, holding a spear and staying at the temple entrance after the assailant had been detained.In a separate clip, the shooter could be seen being overpowered by the crowd. The people holding the man can be heard asking him his motive for opening fire on the SAD leader.The religious punishment had been announced on December 2, 2024, by Sikh high priests for Badal and other Akali leaders in connection with incidents of sacrilege and the pardon granted to controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The tankhah was part of a reconciliation process led by Sikh religious authorities to address long-standing grievances within the community.
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With Wednesday’s attack once again putting security arrangements at the Golden Temple under scrutiny, the earlier firing incident has returned to focus as a reminder that this was not the first time Sukhbir Singh Badal was targeted while performing religious service at Sikhism’s holiest shrine.