BATHINDA/NANDED: As Jaspal Singh was pinned to the ground after allegedly attacking Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal at a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday, some people around him stepped in to restore his turban before police took him into custody.Singh’s turban had come off during the scuffle as security personnel and others overpowered him following the attack. He was subsequently handed over to the police.The 62-year-old accused, a resident of Solapur Bazaar in Pune, had reportedly been serving as a sewadar at Mata Sahib Deva Gurdwara in Nanded for the past two years.The attack took place around 1.45 pm when Jaspal Singh allegedly attacked Badal with a kirpan inside the gurdwara premises before security personnel intervened and restrained him.Badal sustained an injury to his hand and was taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition was reported to be stable.Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Badal’s wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, over the phone and enquired about his health following the attack, sources said.Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also spoke to Badal and enquired about his condition.Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into the incident and sought details from the Nanded superintendent of police. According to sources in the chief minister’s office, the accused was arrested immediately after the attack, and Fadnavis directed authorities to investigate the motive.SAD leaders, meanwhile, termed the attack an intelligence failure and said the party chief was “fine” and in “high spirits”. Senior leaders, including Badal’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia, demanded a CBI probe.The incident has also revived concerns over Badal’s security, coming nearly two years after he was targeted in an attempted shooting at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024.In that incident, attacker Narain Singh Chaura allegedly approached Badal while he was performing ‘seva’ and attempted to fire at him. A member of Badal’s security detail intervened, causing the bullet to miss him. Chaura was subsequently overpowered.The 2024 attack took place after the Akal Takht declared Badal a ‘tankhaiya’, or guilty of religious misconduct, over decisions and actions taken by the SAD-led Punjab government between 2007 and 2017. As part of the religious punishment, Badal performed ‘seva’ at the Golden Temple and other Sikh shrines.Following that attack, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia had criticised the Punjab Police and questioned the security arrangements around Badal. The latest incident is likely to bring those questions back into focus, particularly over how Singh, who had reportedly been serving at the gurdwara for two years, was able to approach the Z+ protectee with a kirpan.(With agency inputs)
