Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was fired at while performing ‘sewa’ outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday morning, and directed police to investigate the incident.

The chief minister also lauded the promptness of the Punjab Police in nabbing the attacker.

The man missed Badal as he was overpowered by police. 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.

“Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today. It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed,” Mann said in a post on X.

“The police achieved great success by arresting the assailant on the spot with their promptness… I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Badal ji. I have issued strict instructions to the police to immediately investigate the incident and submit a report,” he added.

Police identified the shooter as Narain Singh Chaura, a resident of Dera Baba Nanak. After the attack, he was whisked away by security officials.

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 police official in plainclothes standing near Badal quickly intervened and grabbed the attacker’s hands. In the melee, a bullet hit the wall behind Badal, who escaped unhurt. 

(This story is not edited by Republic and is published by a syndicated feed)