New Delhi:

Shiromani Akali Dal veteran Sukhbir Singh Badal – the object of an attempted assassination Wednesday at the Golden Temple in Amritsar – has thanked the policemen who saved his life.

“Risking your life to save someone else is not an easy thing… Assistant Sub Inspector Jasveer Singh and Assistant Sub Inspector Hira Singh… my family and I cannot repay the courage and loyalty shown by them yesterday,” the former Deputy Chief Minister said in a post on X Thursday evening.

“May God bless them with long life, good health and all happiness.”

ਕਿਸੇ ਦੀ ਜਾਨ ਬਚਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਆਪਣੀ ਜਾਨ ਦਾਅ ‘ਤੇ ਲਾਉਣੀ ਕੋਈ ਸੌਖੀ ਗੱਲ ਨਹੀਂ।

ਏ ਐਸ ਆਈ ਜਸਵੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਤੇ ਏ ਐਸ ਆਈ ਹੀਰਾ ਸਿੰਘ, ਦੋਵੇਂ ਸ. ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਬਾਦਲ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ ਦੇ ਸਮੇਂ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ ਸਾਡੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਦਾ ਹਿੱਸਾ ਹਨ। ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਬੀਤੇ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਵਿਖਾਈ ਦਲੇਰੀ ਅਤੇ ਵਫਾਦਾਰੀ ਦਾ ਮੁੱਲ ਮੈਂ ਅਤੇ ਮੇਰਾ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਸਾਰੀ ਉਮਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੋੜ… pic.twitter.com/3x7FB93cuJ

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) December 5, 2024

Undaunted by his near-escape, Mr Badal was back serving penance today, this time at the Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib.

READ | Day After Assassination Bid, Sukhbir Badal Performs ‘Seva’ 

Mr Badal, 62, was shot at while serving penance ordered by the Akal Takht, the Sikhs’ highest temporal body. He had been found guilty of religious misconduct when the Akalis were in power in Punjab, from 2007 to 2017, and declared a ‘tankhaiya’, or one guilty of religious misconduct.

He was sentenced to serve food and clean dishes and toilets in gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple, and began his first day as a ‘sevadar’ Tuesday. Dressed in blue, he sat in a wheelchair, with a plaque around his neck and a spear in hand, and his first act of contrition was washing vessels.

That day passed uneventfully. But police now believe the shooter who targeted him Wednesday – Narain Singh Chaura – visited the gurudwara then too, possibly on a reconnaissance mission.

READ | Man Who Shot At Sukhbir Badal Seen At Golden Temple A Day Earlier

On Wednesday Chaura opened fire from close range – a 9mm handgun was seized – but miraculously missed, and was overpowered by the police personnel. Amritsar Police chief Gurpreet Singh Bhullar praised the officers for their swift action, making it clear their alertness had foiled the murder bid.

Videos shared by news agency ANI captured the dramatic moments leading up to the firing.

VIDEO | How Shooter Approaches Sukhbir Badal, How He Reacts To Gunshot

Chaura is seen approaching his target slowly before he quickly pulls out his weapon. But he isn’t quick enough and a guard standing near Sukhbir Badal is the first to raise the alarm.

He manages to grab the attacker’s arm and push it upwards. Chaura is only able to fire one round, which misses everyone and hits the wall. And, seconds later, the police grab him and take him away.

READ | “Khalistani Links…”: Ex-Akali Dal MP, Others Slam Attack On Sukhbir Badal

The attempted killing triggered furious reactions across the political spectrum, particularly since it later emerged that Chaura has links with a Khalistani terrorist group – Babbar Khalsa – and may have planned the 2004 Burail jailbreak, when four men escaped by digging a 94-foot tunnel.

Those four were Babbar Khalsa chief Jagtar Singh Hawara; former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassins, Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara; and a murder convict Devi Singh.

READ | “Man Who Shot At Sukhbir Badal Was A Terrorist”: Senior Punjab Cop

Since then, police sources have also said Chaura has links with Pakistani terrorist networks and was involved in smuggling weapons and explosives into Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s.

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