Sukhbir Singh Badal was fired at by a man on while he was carrying out his “sewadar” duties outside the holy shrine of Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar. The bullet struck a wall and the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, who was seated in a wheelchair, escaped unhurt. Some individuals outside the shrine stressed the man, who was identified as Narain Singh Chaura.
Who Is Narain Singh Chaura? Man Who Attempted To Shoot Sukhbir Singh Badal
Why In News
- Sukhbir Singh Badal was fired at by a man on while he was carrying out his “sewadar” duties outside the holy shrine of Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar. The bullet struck a wall and the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, who was seated in a wheelchair, escaped unhurt. Some individuals outside the shrine stressed the man, who was identified as Narain Singh Chaura.
How Did He Approach Sukhbir Badal
- The incident occurred at around 9 am, just after wheelchair-bound Sukhbir Badal had assumed the role as “sewadar” at the Golden Temple gate, which is the Sikhs’ holiest shrine. He was approached by Narain Chaura, who attempted to shoot him.
- Sukhbir Badal, wearing a blue uniform and brandishing a spear, is seen sitting on guard as devotees pass through the gate in visuals released by ANI. In the video, a man can be seen cautiously approaching him and pulls out a gun from his pocket.
- Beside Sukhbir Badal, a sewadar sees the shooter in time and lunges at him. He is able to seize the assailant’s arm and push it upward. The bullet hits the wall when it is fired.
- According to reports, security personnel and Sikh temple officials arrested Narain Chaura before he could carry out the attack.
- Pronouncing the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) for Badal and other leaders for the “mistakes” committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, the Sikh clergy at the Akal Takht on Monday directed the senior Akali leader to serve as a ‘sewadar’, and wash dishes and clean shoes at the Golden Temple.
- Before the pronouncement of the edict, Sukhbir Badal admitted his mistakes, including pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case during the SAD’s rule in Punjab.
Why Attack Is Done
- Sukhbir Singh Badal, the son of one of Punjab’s most powerful politicians, Parkash Singh Badal, is regarded as a pivotal player in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
- Although SAD stood for Sikh political interests, its leaders frequently disagreed with more radical organisations, particularly those who supported the creation of a separate Sikh state, like Khalistanis.
- Those who were perceived by the Khalistani militants as belonging to the establishment or as having compromised on the separatist cause were targeted.
- Badals were perceived as being too close to the Indian government and not supporting Sikhdom’s complete independence, despite their longstanding affiliations with Sikh religious organisations.
Who Is Narain Singh Chaura?
- Narain Singh Chaura lives in the village of Chaura, which is around 60 kilometres from Golden Temple in the Gurdaspur region of Punjab. The 68-year-old’s name is linked to the Khalistani movement, which in the 1980s and 1990s aimed to create Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
- In 1984, he travelled to Pakistan to receive training at the height of the Khalistani insurgency.
- He is regarded as the mastermind of the 2004 Burail jailbreak case, in which four prisoners — Devi Singh (a murder convict), Babbar Khalsa chief Jagtar Singh Hawara, and Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara (the killers of previous Chief Minister Beant Singh) — dug a 104-foot tunnel and broke out of the facility.
- Narain Singh allegedly continued his militant activities, helping smuggle arms and ammunition into India and in their distribution in Punjab.
- In 2013, Narain Chaura was arrested under cases related to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and spent five years in Amritsar Central Jail. Narain Singh was caught near the boundary wall of the jail with a gun. He then stopped appearing in court and responding to summonses. Singh was then declared a proclaimed offender.
