Attack on Badal: Assailant Was Nanded Gurdwara Sewadar, Say Police
Police say accused Jaspal Singh, who had been serving as a volunteer at the gurdwara for two years, cited Punjab’s drug menace during preliminary questioning his exact motive remains under investigation.
NANDED, Aug 13: The man accused of attacking Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal at a gurdwara near Maharashtra’s Nanded city on Thursday had been serving as a sewadar there for nearly two years and is a resident of Pune, police said.
The accused, identified as 60-62 year old Jaspal Singh, allegedly attacked Badal with a kirpan at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat, located around 15 km from Nanded, at about 1.45 pm.
Police said Singh was arrested immediately after the incident and is being questioned to determine the circumstances and motive behind the attack. During preliminary interrogation, he reportedly referred to the drug problem in Punjab, although investigators have not yet established whether this was the reason for targeting Badal.
Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan said Singh holds commerce and law degrees and lives with his family in Pune. He had been staying alone in Nanded while serving as a volunteer at the gurdwara.
“We have arrested him and interrogation is underway. We are checking his background,” Rohan said, adding that police had so far found no links to any gang or evidence of a criminal background.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has also joined the investigation. An ATS team visited Singh’s residence in Pune and questioned people as part of efforts to establish his background and possible motive.
Police had initially described the accused as a member of the Nihang order of Sikhs. Investigators are now examining his personal background, activities and statements as part of the ongoing probe.
According to eyewitness Ravinder Singh Bungai, a former secretary of Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Apchalnagar Sahib gurdwara in Nanded, the incident happened suddenly while Badal was near the area where devotees wash their feet.
Bungai said Singh allegedly shouted, “I surrender, I surrender” immediately after the attack.
The incident occurred despite Badal being under Z-plus security cover, prompting concern among members of the Sikh community in Maharashtra. Bungai described the attack inside a place of worship as shameful and said the state’s Sikh community had condemned the incident.
Badal, a former Punjab deputy chief minister, was taken to a hospital following the attack. He suffered an injury to his right hand and received two to three stitches. His condition was reported to be stable.
The ATS and local police are continuing to investigate Singh’s background, his activities in Nanded and the circumstances that led to the attack. Officials said the precise motive would become clear only after a detailed interrogation and investigation.
