 "Who is Narain Singh Chaura, the man who attempted to shoot Sukhbir Singh Badal at Golden Temple?")
Sukhbir Singh Badal was fired at by a man on Wednesday while he was carrying out his “sewadar” duties outside the holy shrine of Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar.
The bullet struck a wall and the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, who was seated in a wheelchair, escaped unhurt .
Some individuals outside the shrine stressed the man, who was identified as Narain Singh Chaura.
Here’s all we know about him.
Who is Narain Singh Chaura?
Narain Singh Chaura lives in the village of Chaura, which is around 60 kilometres from Golden Temple in the Gurdaspur region of Punjab.
He was born on April 4, 1956, to Chanam Singh and Gurnam Kaur, reported NDTV.
The 68-year-old’s name is linked to the Khalistani movement, which in the 1980s and 1990s aimed to create Khalistan, an independent Sikh state.
According to Republic World, in 1984, he travelled to Pakistan to receive training at the height of the Khalistani insurgency.
He is regarded as the mastermind of the 2004 Burail jailbreak case, in which four prisoners — Devi Singh (a murder convict), Babbar Khalsa chief Jagtar Singh Hawara, and Paramjit Singh Bheora and Jagtar Singh Tara (the killers of previous Chief Minister Beant Singh) — dug a 104-foot tunnel and broke out of the facility.
In 2013, Narain Chaura was arrested under cases related to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and spent five years in Amritsar Central Jail.
Chaura was also active as a Panthic leader for years, as per Hindustan Times.
How did he approach Sukhbir Badal?
The incident occurred at around 9 am, just after wheelchair-bound Sukhbir Badal had assumed the role as "sewadar" at the Golden Temple gate , which is the Sikhs’ holiest shrine. He was approached by Narain Chaura, who attempted to shoot him.
Sukhbir Badal, wearing a blue uniform and brandishing a spear, is seen sitting on guard as devotees pass through the gate in visuals released by ANI.
In the video, a man can be seen cautiously approaching him and pulls out a gun from his pocket. Beside Sukhbir Badal, a sewadar sees the shooter in time and lunges at him. He is able to seize the assailant’s arm and push it upward. The bullet hits the wall when it is fired.
Sukhbir Badal narrowly escaped the attack.
According to reports, security personnel and Sikh temple officials arrested Narain Chaura before he could carry out the attack.
The attack was foiled by vigilant police officials, according to Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
He said, “Narain Singh has a criminal record. We have registered a case and the incident is probed from all angles. I appeal to people to maintain peace.”
According to the top police officer, it was difficult to deploy officers to the Golden Temple.
“We cannot deploy cops in uniform because of religious feelings. It is difficult to frisk people too. We did what was possible and the result shows how prepared we were. I congratulate the officers for rising to the occasion.”
What was the reason for the attack?
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the son of one of Punjab’s most powerful politicians, Parkash Singh Badal , is regarded as a pivotal player in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) .
Although SAD stood for Sikh political interests, its leaders frequently disagreed with more radical organisations, particularly those who supported the creation of a separate Sikh state, like Khalistanis.
Those who were perceived by the Khalistani militants as belonging to the establishment or as having compromised on the separatist cause were targeted, according to Republic World.
The Badals were perceived as being too close to the Indian government and not supporting Sikhdom’s complete independence, despite their longstanding affiliations with Sikh religious organisations.
What was Sukhbir Badal doing at the Golden Temple?
The former deputy CM was carrying out sewadar duties after Akal Takht punished him for mistakes during the Akali Dal term from 2007-2017.
In August, Akal Takht declared him “tankhaiya” (guilty of religious misconduct) over “some decisions” made during his tenure.
The declaration was made by the five high priests of the Akal Takht. Giani Raghbir Singh, while reading the order, said that Sukhbir Badal and other Sikh cabinet ministers must submit written explanations within 15 days.
Sukhbir Badal was instructed to clean bathrooms at Sri Darbar Sahib from 12 to 1 pm on December 3. He was also required to wash utensils for an hour and listen to Gurbani. During this, he must wear a plaque around his neck, ANI reported.
Notably, Sukhbir Badal, who is the husband of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, accepted the charges against him.
With inputs from agencies
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