Nanded/Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a kirpan on Thursday afternoon near Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra’s Nanded, sustaining a minor injury to his right hand/forearm. He is stable and out of danger after receiving treatment, including stitches, at a private hospital.The incident occurred at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji (also referred to as Mata Sahib Kaur or similar) in the Mudkhed area on the outskirts of Nanded, after Badal and his family—including wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal—had paid obeisance at Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib. As Badal was descending the steps, a man dressed in Nihang attire, identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh (son of Teja Singh, originally from Pune and a resident sevadar at the gurdwara for about two years), allegedly attempted to strike him with a concealed kirpan. Security personnel intervened, overpowering the attacker; a Maharashtra Police Special Protection Unit inspector, Santosh Kendre, was also injured while protecting Badal. The accused was arrested on the spot.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the motive and circumstances. SAD leaders have demanded a high-level independent inquiry, questioning any possible conspiracy. This marks the second attack on Badal at a Sikh shrine in under two years—the previous one being a shooting attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024 while he was performing religious penance.Retired IPS officer and Congress-affiliated figure Gurinder Dhillon (@gurinipspb) strongly condemned the assault in a post on X. “I Strongly condemn the attack on S. Sukhbir Singh Badal @officeofssbadal near Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded. Violence has absolutely no place in our democratic and social discourse, whatever the differences—political, personal or ideological,” he wrote. “That such an incident should occur at a place of such profound spiritual sanctity makes it even more disturbing. I wish S. Sukhbir Singh Badal a speedy recovery and urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and its circumstances. Ensure perpetrators face the justice.”Political leaders across parties, including Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, have also denounced the attack, emphasizing that violence has no place at sacred Sikh sites. Investigations continue into the attacker’s background and any wider motives.