In a shocking incident that raises a question mark on the VIP security, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal escaped unhurt a bid on his life at the Golden Temple in Amritsar when a Khalistan sympathiser associated with the radical Dal Khalsa Wednesday opened fire at him.

The shooter targeted the former Punjab deputy chief minister while performing “seva” at the shrine as part of a religious punishment pronounced by the Shri Akal Takht Sahib.

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In a video, the wheelchair-bound SAD leader is seen in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform holding a spear when the shooter whips out the gun and fires at him from a point-blank range. The policemen in attendance were swift enough to react to the contingency and overpower the assailant.

The shooter was identified as Narain Singh Chaura, an alleged former militant facing many cases and is an accused in the sensational Burail jailbreak case in Chandigarh in 2004, where four undertrials, three of them assassins of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, escaped from the jail by digging a tunnel.

Chaura slowly approached Sukhbir Badal, who was sitting at the entrance of the Golden Temple with a plaque card around his neck as part of the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment), before opening fire at him instantaneously. However, a policeman standing nearby was able to push his hand upwards at a spur-of-the-moment and save the Akali Dal leader.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Harpal Singh told reporters that proper security arrangements were in place and he was himself present at the site. “Chaura was present in the temple yesterday also. On Wednesday morning, he came to the temple as usual and paid obeisance before opening fire at Badal,” he told reporters.

According to the police, Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984 and was instrumental in smuggling weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy. He was allegedly associated with the Khalistan Liberation Force and the Akal Federation and was wanted in cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ropar districts.

Sixty-two-year-old Badal was performing ‘sewadar’ duties after the Akal Takht pronounced the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) for him and several other Akali Dal leaders for “mistakes” committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

As part of the punishment, Sukhbir Badal and his former colleagues in the then cabinet were ordered to clean toilets, serve “langar” (community kitchen), perform daily prayers, and recite Sukhmani Sahib. Placards were also placed around their necks as part of the sentence.

Due to health concerns, Sukhbir Badal and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa were instructed to serve as gatekeepers at the Golden Temple entrance for two days.

Reacting to the incident, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami said, “We will investigate this through our sources. I think he (the attacker) has been nabbed and taken away by the police…Guru Ram Das saved Sukhbir Badal…We are looking into the security arrangements.”

Chaura is a resident of Village Chaura in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab. According to the details shared by the police, Chaura, born on April 4, 1956, is the son of Chanan Singh and Gurnam Kaur.

According to reports, he was the leader of the now-defunct militant outfit Khalistan National Army. He has been jailed several times and faces multiple cases under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Senior BJP leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh condemned the murderous attack on Sukhbir Badal.

BJP’s Tarun Chugh and SAD senior leader Sanjeev Talwar also strongly condemned the incident and said it was the failure of the Punjab government.