Shiromani Akali Dal MP and Sukhbir Badal’s wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal has urged the union government that two attempts on the life of her husband should be probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). There is merit in her demand. It is within less than two years that a second serious attempt was made on Badal’s life.
The first attempt on his life was made within the Durbar Sahib complex on December 4, 2024 while he was undergoing ‘tankha’ (penance) awarded by the Akal Takht. The accused in the attack, Narain Singh Chaura, was a former militant having had links with the Babbar Khalsa International. It was the alertness of one of Badal’s PSOs who deflected the assailant’s arm and he missed Badal. Otherwise, it could have been dangerous and devastating. Chaura was booked for attempted murder. He was granted bail by a local court within four months.
Again, on August 13 this year, when Sukhbir along with his family had gone to pay obeisance at Hazur Sahib, Nanded in Maharashtra he was attacked with a sharp edged sword. It was again the alertness of one of the Maharashtra Police cops who prevented a grievous injury. Sukhbir still suffered serious injury in his hand and arm. He has got several stitches. This was again a providential escape for the Akali leader.
The Government of India must seriously consider Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s demand for an NIA probe into the attack on Badal. This was definitely not an isolated attempt as it happened within less than two years. The 68-year-old assailant involved in the first attack got the bail within four months and he is roaming free. In the Nanded attack case, the assailant is 61 years old.
Also read: Threat to Sukhbir’s life must be taken seriously
The Shiromani Akali Dal has strong reservations over the way the Aam Aadmi Party government handled the attack on Badal in the Durbar Sahib. So much so, the then Police Commissioner Amritsar Gurpreet Bhullar had even said police were examining whether the attack on Sukhbir Badal had been orchestrated to garner sympathy. That explains how casually and leniently the Punjab Government and the Punjab Police took the murderous attack on a former Deputy Chief Minister and president of one of the important political parties in the state.
Punjab is a sensitive border state which is always under the perennial threat from enemy forces. Political leaders like Badal, who are moderate in their political approach and have the potential to challenge and fight against the radical, sectarian and divisive tendencies will always be the target of such forces. Earlier, some RSS leaders were also targeted by the same people. There was an attack on the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar. Any threat or attempt on the life of senior leaders, irrespective of the party they belong to, must be taken as a challenge to national security.
The culprits must not be let off, lest it encourages others to do the same thing. There must be a strong deterrent against such acts of terror. These are not ordinary attacks, but actually acts of terror and must be dealt as such. Punjab has lost so many people including veteran leaders to the scourge of terrorism. One sitting Prime Minister and one sitting Chief Minister were killed, besides many others, in the acts of terror. That should be the reason enough for both the state as well as the central governments to have zero tolerance towards terror.
Even if these were the “lone wolf” attacks, these cannot be passed off as routine incidents. Unless there are strong and stringent deterrent steps taken, there will always be a risk of more such attacks taking place, particularly when the attackers are glorified and the attacks justified.
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