Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked by a Nihang Sikh at a gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra, and suffered an injury to his hand.
Akali Dal chief and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked at a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday afternoon. According to sources, a Nihang Sikh attacked Mr Badal with a kirpan while he was leaving the place of worship after offering prayers.
Mr Badal sustained an injury to his hand and was taken to a private hospital in Nanded for treatment. Akali Dal sources said the injury was not life-threatening and that he received stitches.
A security personnel deployed with Mr Badal, identified as Santosh Kendre, was also injured during the incident.
According to a statement from the Nanded Superintendent of Police, the incident occurred at around 1:50 pm at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Deva Ji in Muga village, in the Mudkhed taluka of Nanded district.
The police said Mr Badal had completed his darshan when a Sikh sevadari attacked him with a dagger, causing the injury.
Mr Badal had visited the gurdwara with his family. His wife and Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal was also present when the attack took place.
The attacker was identified as Jaspal Singh, a Nihang Sikh. Sources said he had been working at the gurdwara for around two years. He was taken into custody following the attack.
According to sources, the attacker allegedly attempted to stab Mr Badal in the stomach. A security personnel intervened, preventing the attack from reaching its intended target.
A video recorded after the incident showed Mr Badal walking with a saffron cloth wrapped around his right hand.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to the Nanded Superintendent of Police shortly after the incident and sought details. He also directed the police to investigate the motive behind the attack.
This is the second reported attack on Mr Badal in recent years. On December 4, 2024, he survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
The gunman in that incident was quickly overpowered and arrested, while Mr Badal remained unharmed.
The 2024 incident occurred while Mr Badal was performing ‘sewadar’ duties after the Akal Takht had pronounced a ‘tankhah’, or religious punishment, against him and several other Akali Dal leaders over what it described as mistakes committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Mr Badal has a Z-plus security cover because of a high threat perception.