A former terrorist, as per the police, Narain Singh Chaura on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) opened fire on Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, outside the Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar, where he was performing penance for his ‘mistakes.’ Mr. Badal escaped unhurt in the incident even as the accused was overpowered by security personnel and people standing close to Mr. Badal, who was in a wheelchair owing to a fractured leg. He was sitting at the entrance of the Golden Temple, attired in the dress of a ‘sewadar’ performing the penance, when the accused drew a gun to shoot.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Narain Singh Chaura, a former terrorist and criminal. “The shooter Narain Singh Chaura is a former terrorist and criminal. He has been arrested and the weapon has been recovered. We have registered an FIR. We will deeply investigate the matter and ensure that no angle stays uncovered,” said Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Police Commissioner, Amritsar. Senior SAD leader and former Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said the incident was condemnable and spoke volumes about Punjab’s poor law and order.
“Mr. Badal is safe and the attacker — Narain Singh Chaura — has been held but the incident has put a big question mark on Punjab law and order situation. I would like to ask Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann where Punjab is being pushed. The attack shows the poor law and order situation prevailing in the State. The Chief Minister should immediately resign,” said Mr. Cheema, speaking to journalists after the incident in Amritsar.
Demanding a high-level judicial probe into the incident, Mr. Cheema said “We don’t have any faith in the State government. Conspiracies are being hatched to demolish the leadership of Akali Dal. It’s not just about the man who fired but the entire conspiracy behind the incident needs to be exposed.”