Nanded, Aug 13: Shiromani Akali Dal chief and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in a knife attack inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday, police said.
A Nihang (member of a martial order of Sikhs) attacked Badal with a kirpan (curved dagger) inside the gurdwara,” Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan told PTI.
The assailant has been taken into custody, the IPS officer said. Badal has been admitted to a hospital, he added. A local official said Badal received two to three stitches on his hand.
Badal was attacked inside the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat around 1.45 pm.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the attack on Badal, an official said. Fadnavis called up Badal and enquired about his health, he added.
Fadnavis sought information about the incident from the Nanded Superintendent of Police and directed the police to investigate the motive behind the attack, sources said.
Senior BJP leader R P Singh strongly condemned the attack on Badal and said such an act of violence is completely unacceptable.
He appealed to Fadnavis to ensure that this incident is thoroughly and impartially investigated.
“I strongly condemn the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal Ji in Nanded. Such an act of violence is completely unacceptable and has no place whatsoever in a democratic society. Political differences and disagreements are a natural part of democracy, but resorting to violence can never be justified,” Singh said in a post on X.
In December 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt while he was performing ‘sewadar’ duty at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after the Akal Takht pronounced the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) for “mistakes” committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
