Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked on Thursday near the Mata Sahib Gurudwara on the outskirts of Maharashtra's Nanded. The incident has been described as a potentially fatal assault.
Sukhbir Singh Badal reportedly sustained injuries to his hand as the attacker, who is under attack, used a sharp-edged weapon. He was with his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is an Akali Dal MP. A viral video showed Badal walking inside a building with a cloth wrapped around his right hand.
A policeman also suffered injuries in the incident. The duo have been admitted to a private hospital for treatment.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Meanwhile, television reports claimed that it was Nihang Sikh who attacked the leader with a 'kirpan' -- a curved dagger.
Earlier in the day, Badal had visited the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded along with wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is an Akali Dal MP.
Badal's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday didn't go unnoticed as Punjab will go tp polling booths early next year. The Akali Dal had left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) six years ago citing differences over the three farm laws, which now stand repealed.
SAD leader Virsa Singh Valtoha strongly condemned the incident and demanded a thorough probe.
There should be a thorough probe. Who are the forces behind such attack..," Valtoha said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sought information from the Nanded Superintendent of Police and has also ordered an investigation into the motive behind the attack.
In December 2024, former terrorist Narain Singh Chaura had opened fire at Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar but missed the target.
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.
