SAD President Sukhbir Badal performs ‘Sewadar’ duty after surviving assassination attempt

Badal is undergoing religious punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, for “mistakes” committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

| Updated: 05 December, 2024 5:30 pm IST

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal resumed his religious service ('sewa') at Takht Kesgarh Sahib just a day after surviving an assassination attempt.

NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal resumed his religious service (‘sewa’) at Takht Kesgarh Sahib just a day after surviving an assassination attempt.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former Punjab deputy chief minister was seen sitting at the shrine’s entrance under Z-level security. He was wearing a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform and holding a spear in Rupnagar district on Thursday, Dec 5.

Badal is undergoing religious punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, for “mistakes” committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. The punishment is for taking wrong political decisions, like granting pardon to Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

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As part of this directive, he has been instructed to perform ‘sewa’ at several prominent Sikh shrines, including Takht Damdama Sahib, Darbar Sahib in Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib, and the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Sewa may include washing dishes & cleaning washrooms.

On Wednesday, while serving his second day of duty at the Golden Temple, Badal narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. A former Khalistani terrorist, Narain Singh Chaura, fired at him from close range but was overpowered by plainclothes policemen and the crowd before he could cause harm.

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Chaura is a key conspirator in the 2004 Burail jailbreak in Chandigarh and is wanted in multiple terror-related cases. Many political leaders have condemned the attack, expressing concerns about the safety of both public figures and citizens.

Amid heightened tensions, Rupnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Singh Khurana assured “foolproof” security arrangements at Takht Kesgarh Sahib on Thursday. Officials deployed plainclothes policemen and maintained a vigilant presence in and around the shrine.

Other leaders and workers of the Shiromani Akali Dal also accompanied Badal during his service. Despite the attempt on his life, the SAD chief continues to adhere to the Akal Takht’s directive.