Sukhbir Singh Badal Attacked with Kirpan at Maharashtra Gurdwara
Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured after being attacked with a kirpan by a Nihang individual at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur near Nanded, Maharashtra. The attacker, reportedly in his sixties and from Punjab, was apprehended by security personnel.
Key takeaways
- Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a kirpan at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur in Nanded, Maharashtra.
- The attacker, a Nihang in his sixties, was apprehended by security personnel.
- Badal sustained an injury to his right hand and is reported to be out of danger.
- The gurdwara where the incident occurred is managed by a Nihang sect.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal sustained an injury to his right hand during an assault with a kirpan. The incident occurred on Thursday at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur, situated on the outskirts of Nanded, Maharashtra, as Badal was walking towards the langar hall after paying respects at the gurdwara.
The attacker, described as a Nihang dressed in blue attire and reportedly in his mid-sixties, was overpowered by security personnel accompanying Badal. He was subsequently handed over to local police for questioning. Reports indicate the assailant is from Punjab and was serving as a sewadar at the gurdwara, which is managed by a Nihang Samparday and not the board overseeing the main Nanded Sahib Gurdwara.
Badal had been in Nanded with his family and associates for a three-day visit, during which he organized an Akhand Path. He had earlier received a siropa from head priests at Sachkhand Nanded Sahib, one of the five temporal seats of Sikhism.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has requested details of the incident from the Nanded Superintendent of Police and ordered an investigation into the motive behind the attack. This is the second reported attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal in under two years; a previous incident involved an alleged assassination attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in December 2024.
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