Chandigarh: Former Union minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the recent attack on SAD president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in Nanded.
In her letter, Harsimrat said Sukhbir Badal had been targeted twice, with both incidents taking place at Sikh religious sites while he was performing religious service.
She alleged that the repeated attacks were aimed at disturbing the atmosphere in Punjab, damaging the state’s image internationally and defaming the Sikh community. She urged the Home Minister to order an NIA probe into the incidents and establish the reasons behind the attacks.
Reference to 2024 attack
Harsimrat also referred to the December 2024 incident outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, when Sukhbir Badal was targeted while performing religious service.
According to the account cited in her letter, former militant and Akal Federation chief Narain Singh Chaura allegedly pulled out a pistol and attempted to fire at Sukhbir. However, ASI Jasbir Singh, who was deployed in plain clothes as part of Sukhbir’s security detail, intervened after noticing the weapon and grabbed the attacker. The bullet missed its intended target and struck the structure near the entrance.
Following the incident, security arrangements around Sukhbir Badal were strengthened.
Harsimrat has now argued that the two attacks require a broader investigation to determine whether there was any underlying conspiracy or motive behind them.
