Chandigarh, Dec 4 Senior BJP leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday condemned the murderous attack on Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
In a statement, Amarinder Singh expressed relief that Sukhbir Badal "is safe and the bullet did not hit or harm him".
He hailed the person on the spot who overpowered the assailant and also deflected his arm, which prevented the bullet from hitting Sukhbir Badal.
The former Chief Minister pointed out that Sukhbir Badal had sought forgiveness from the Akal Takht and was undergoing the punishment pronounced on him, inside the Golden Temple complex. He said those behind the attack on the Akali leader had violated the "Sikh Maryada".
He said Punjab has already suffered a lot during the 1980s and 1990s and it cannot afford another dark era.
The BJP leader called upon people to beware of the forces, which are trying to sabotage peace in Punjab.
A Khalistan sympathiser associated with the radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa opened fire at Sukhbir Badal when the former deputy CM of Punjab was sitting on "punishment" guard duty.
The assailant was overpowered by three police personnel in civil dress who were positioned there for the security of the Akali leader.
In a video, wheelchair-bound Sukhbir Badal was seen in a blue 'sewadar' uniform holding a spear and at point-blank range as the shooter whipped out the gun. However, the policemen were swift to react and overpowered the assailant.
The shooter has been identified as Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly a former militant, who faces many cases and was 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.
About the murderous attack, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Harpal Singh told the media that proper security arrangements were in place and he was himself present on 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 media.
According to 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. He was also wanted in cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ropar districts.
While in Pakistan, he allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and "seditious" literature.
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.
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