NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured after being attacked at a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday. The assailant, identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh, had been staying at the same gurdwara for the past two years.According to police, the attack took place when Badal was visiting Mata Sahib Gurdwara in the Hazur Sahib area. The attacker, a nihang Sikh, allegedly tried to stab the Akali Dal leader in the stomach, news agency IANS reported quoting sources.Security personnel accompanying Badal intervened immediately and overpowered the attacker before he could inflict more serious injuries.Police later identified the accused as Jaspal Singh, son of Teja Singh and a resident of Solapur Bazaar in Pune. Investigators said he had been residing at Mata Sahib Gurdwara for the last two years.Badal sustained an injury to his hand and was rushed to Yasho Sai Hospital in Nanded for treatment. Officials said that he received stitches on his hand and is in stable condition.Inspector Santosh Kendre of the Maharashtra Police’s Special Protection Unit (SPU), who was deployed for Badal’s security, was also injured while trying to stop the attacker.The SPU is a specialised unit tasked with providing security to VVIPs during their visits and movements.Badal was accompanied by his wife, SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, during his visit to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. Punjab security personnel and Maharashtra Police officers were also present when the attack took place.
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Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has sought a detailed report from the Nanded Superintendent of Police and ordered an inquiry into the motive behind the attack. He also spoke to Badal over the phone to inquire about his condition.Police have detained the accused and launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the attack. Security has been tightened in and around the gurdwara premises.This was not the first attack on the Akali Dal leader.In December 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar while performing ‘sewadar’ duties after the Akal Takht had pronounced religious punishment on him and several other party leaders over decisions taken during the SAD government’s tenure between 2007 and 2017.
