Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in a knife attack inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded on Thursday, triggering political reactions and raising fresh questions about his security.
The attack took place during Badal's two-day visit to Nanded, where he had travelled with his family to pay obeisance at several Sikh religious sites.
According to police, the incident took place at around 1.45 pm inside Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat in Nanded. Badal had already visited Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib earlier in the day and he was accompanied by his wife, Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Police said the attack occurred while Badal was coming down the steps inside the gurdwara after offering prayers and the accused allegedly attacked him with a kirpan, a traditional Sikh blade carried by initiated Sikhs.
Badal suffered an injury to his right hand and was immediately taken to a hospital and officials said he received two to three stitches and is now stable and out of danger.
Police have identified the accused as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh, a resident of Pune and according to officials, Jaspal Singh had previously worked as a court clerk and had also practised as a lawyer in a Pune court.
For the past two years, he had been serving as a sevadar at Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Mugat, near Nanded.
Immediately after the attack, he was taken into custody by the police.
Several media reports initially suggested that more than one person might have been involved, however, Nanded Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar clarified that only one accused had been identified in the case.
The motive remains unclear.
During preliminary questioning, the accused reportedly told investigators, "Just felt like doing this" and police have not yet announced any specific motive or confirmed whether the attack was planned.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an investigation and directed the police to determine the reason behind the attack and officials are also expected to examine the accused's background, his activities at the gurdwara and whether anyone else was involved.
A police officer assigned to Badal's security detail intervened and prevented the situation from escalating and according to officials, Police Inspector Santosh Kendre was injured while trying to protect the SAD leader during the attack.
The officer also received medical treatment following the incident.
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Badal's wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was present at the gurdwara when the attack took place and according to Akali Dal leaders, several members of the Badal family were in Nanded as part of the religious visit.
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This is the second major attack on Sukhbir Badal in less than two years, in December 2024, former militant and pro-Khalistan sympathiser Narain Singh Chaura allegedly opened fire at Badal outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and t the time, Badal was performing religious penance ordered by the Akal Takht over decisions taken during the SAD government's tenure in Punjab.
The attacker was overpowered before he could cause any harm, and Badal escaped unhurt.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has strongly condemned the attack on and demanded a CBI probe into the incident, alleging serious security and intelligence lapses.
Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema has demanded a high-level independent investigation into the latest attack and described the incident as a deep-rooted conspiracy and said the circumstances surrounding the case must be thoroughly examined.
