Fresh details have been revealed in the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal at a gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded, which he claimed was part of a "larger conspiracy" disturbing the peace in Punjab.
62-year-old lawyer Jaspal Singh, the accused in the Thursday assassination attempt, revealed to the police that he had "received orders from the Waheguru (divine orders)" to kill Badal.
Singh has also claimed that he felt compelled to attack Badal over reasons like the situation in Punjab and what he felt was the drug problem, an official said, as per an Indian Express report.
Singh will be produced in court on Friday where the police will seek his custody, the report added, citing Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan.
The police also said that it was in 2023 that Singh had retired from the world, leaving behind a wife, daughter, and a corporate job to become a Nihang Sikh at the Nanded gurdwara. They added that he had no history of violence before the assassination attempt.
Meanwhile, the SAD chief was discharged from the hospital on Friday, labelling the kirpan (dagger) attack on him as a larger political conspiracy.
"I have never been scared, nor am I afraid now," he told reporters after his discharge from the hospital, alleging that the attack was part of a larger conspiracy to cause unrest in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Notably, the police have alleged that Singh was working alone, and was not aided from the outside in any manner.
"God is with me," he added, noting that he had been attacked in two of the holiest places—a reference to the 2024 attack on him when he had been a sewadar (helper) at the Golden Temple as per a tankhah (punishment) from the Akal Takht Sahib.
This also comes as former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh reported that a man had opened fire on his vehicle. The bullet mark was discovered on the vehicle later on.
Though he said that he had not received any threat call earlier, the ex-religious leader flagged its timing as suspicious, saying that it should be investigated.
