SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a dagger at a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded, sustaining an injury on his forearm. A police officer was also hurt. Both are stable. The attacker has been taken into police custody.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal suffered a wound of around five centimetres on his right forearm after being attacked with a dagger at a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday, District Collector Rahul Kardele said.
Details of the Attack
Both Badal and a police officer who was also injured while protecting him are stable and out of danger, the District Collector said.
“He sustained a minor injury, as did a PSI from the Special Protection Unit. Both are currently in stable condition and out of danger,” Kardele said.
“Both were hit on the arm. I believe Badal has a wound of about four to five centimetres on his right forearm, and doctors are currently treating him,” the Collector added.
The Nanded Police detailed that the incident took place at around 1:50 pm after Badal had completed darshan at the Gurudwara Mata Sahib Devaji at Mugat village in Mudkhed taluka. While he was coming down the steps on foot, a Sikh sewadar allegedly attacked him with a dagger, injuring his hand.
Police Inspector Santosh Kele of the Special Protection Unit, who was accompanying Badal, also sustained an injury to his hand while attempting to protect the SAD chief. Both Badal and the police officer were admitted to Yashosai Hospital in Nanded, where they are undergoing treatment. Police said their condition was good.
Attacker in Custody, CM Orders Probe
Kardele said Badal’s visit was private and that no official intimation had been given to the Collector’s office. However, given his Z-plus security cover, he was provided full police protection.
“It was a private visit. No official intimation was given to the Collector’s office, but since he has Z-plus security, he had full police protection,” the Collector said.
The alleged attacker has been taken into police custody and further legal action is underway, the Nanded Police said.
Following the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought information from the Nanded Superintendent of Police and ordered an inquiry into the attack and the motive behind it. Fadnavis also spoke to Badal over the phone, during which the SAD chief is learnt to have told him that he was stable.
SAD Condemns Attack, Alleges Security Failure
The attack has triggered sharp reactions from SAD leaders in Punjab, with party leader Daljit Singh Cheema calling it the second life-threatening attack on Badal within a short period and alleging a major intelligence and security failure.
“It is particularly distressing that this is the second life-threatening attack on him within a short span of time. This represents a massive intelligence and security failure,” Cheema told ANI. He also alleged that the previous attack on Badal at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024 had not been properly investigated.
SAD leader Jathedar Jarnail Singh Dogranwala also condemned the attack and questioned how security could fail inside a gurdwara. “I condemn this in the strongest possible terms. I urge the government to consider that if we cannot ensure security even within Gurdwaras, where has the government’s intelligence failed?” he said.
Second Attack on Badal
The latest incident is the second attack on Badal at a Sikh religious site. In December 2024, he was targeted in an attempted shooting at the Golden Temple in Amritsar while performing ‘seva’. The attacker, Narain Singh Chaura, was overpowered before he could cause harm. Badal was carrying out the religious service after the Akal Takht had declared him a ‘tankhaiya’, or guilty of religious misconduct, over decisions taken during the SAD-led Punjab government between 2007 and 2017.
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