Amritsar: Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal survived an assassination bid at the entrance of Golden Temple in Amritsar after a man opened fire at him on Wednesday. The SAD leader survived unscathed as the gunshot missed him. The attacker was soon overpowered by people present on the spot.
All hell broke loose when Badal was sitting at the entrance of Golden Temple performing penance at 9:30 am. Attired in the dress of ‘sewadar’, Badal was holding a spear in his hand and a plaque in his neck, mentioning confession of his 'mistakes' when he was targeted. Suddenly, a gunshot sound broke the silence as people ran here and there.
The audacious attack was captured on cameras of media persons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal's penance for "mistakes" committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Television footage showed the shooter slowly walking towards Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulling out a gun from his pocket. A man standing near Badal quickly intervened and grabbed the attacker's hands. In the melee, a bullet hit the wall behind Badal, who escaped unhurt.
Later, the police arrested Narayan Singh Choda, the accused. ADCP Harpal Singh said the person is related to Dal Khalsa and the police already had previous information that he could carry out such an attack. According to Singh, police were keeping an eye on him and constantly watching over it.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema, while interacting with the media, said it was a lucky escape for Badal as the bullet missed him narrowly. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should own up responsibility for law and order deterioration and resign immediately.
"There should be a judicial inquiry into this incident. Narayan Singh Choda made every effort to shoot Sukhbir Badal. If security personnel present at the spot had not controlled Narayan Choda, it would have been all over for Badal," Cheema said.
Choda was seen taking out a pistol from his pocket but before he could fire at Sukhbir Singh Badal, a serviceman stopped him. The alert security person immediately grabbed his hand to dissuade the attacker. During the time, the gunshot went into the air and hit a wall.
Panic after gunshot
Though the security personnel immediately arrested the attacker. The firing of bullets triggered alarm. The large crowd outside Sri Darbar Sahib, ran for cover.
The attacker is a resident of Dera Baba Nanak; he was also present at the Darbar Sahib on Tuesday. According to sources, he was tracking every move of Badal and waited for right moment to attack the SAD leader.
On December 2, a meeting of five Singh Sahibs was held at Sri Akal Takht Sahib in the Ram Rahim case. In this case, on August 30, Sukhbir Singh Badal was declared a 'Tankhaiye', accused of religious misconduct, by Sri Akal Takht Sahib authorities.
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