Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal Wednesday narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a gunman tried to shoot him inside the Golden Temple premises in Punjab’s Amritsar. The incident took place in the morning when Mr Badal was performing the duty as a ‘Sewadar’ at the Golden Temple which was assigned to him as part of a punishment by the Shri Akal Takht Sahib.

The police have arrested the accused, who has been identified as 68-year-old Narain Singh Chaura, before he could take his aim at Mr Badal. However, he did manage to fire a bullet but it narrowly missed Badal and others surrounding him.

Advertisement

“The attacker Narain Singh Chaura, who fired at Sukhbir Singh Badal, has been nabbed by the Police. The attack was foiled by the Police. A security cordon was already in place by the Police. Before Chaura could do anything, a Police Constable nabbed him,” according to a Punjab DGP Office statement.

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.

Chaura was also accused of helping Babbar Khalsa terrorists Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh Bheora, Jagtar Singh Tara and Devi Singh in their escape from the Burail Jail in 2014. Three of the terrorists – Bheora, Hawara and Tara – had assassinated former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. However, he was acquitted in the case