AMRITSAR: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Badal narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday when a hardline Sikh activist opened fire at him near the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
An alert ‘sewadar’ standing beside Badal quickly intervened, bravely confronting the attacker and overpowering him, despite the assailant managing to fire a bullet.
As the assailant prepared to fire, the sewadar quickly pushed the attacker’s arm upward, causing the bullet to be discharged into the air instead of hitting Sukhbir.
The assailant was immediately subdued.
Sewadars from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), along with Sukhbir Singh Badal‘s entourage, promptly provided additional security following the attempt.
Despite the ordeal, Sukhbir continued his role as a sewadar, holding a spear while seated in a wheelchair due to a hairline fracture in his leg.
The religious atonement had been pronounced on December 2 by Sikh high priests for Sukhbir and other Akali leaders concerning incidents of sacrilege and the pardon granted to the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
The attacker has been identified as Narayan Singh, allegedly a member of a Sikh organisation. However, the police have not yet officially confirmed his identity.