Shiromani Akali Dal chief and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked in Nanded, Maharashtra, on Thursday. The incident reportedly took place on the outskirts of the city after he visited a gurdwara.
According to preliminary information, a Nihang Sikh allegedly attacked Badal with a kirpan. The attacker was taken into custody following the incident. Badal was rushed to a private hospital in Nanded for treatment.
A security personnel assigned to Badal’s protection was also injured in the attack.
Earlier in the day, Badal had visited Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded along with his family. His wife and Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal was also with him when the incident took place.
A video recorded after the attack showed Badal walking with a saffron cloth wrapped around his right hand. Akali Dal sources said Badal suffered an injury to his hand, but his condition was not serious. He is being treated at a private hospital in Nanded and received stitches for the injury.
On December 4, 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He was unharmed, while the gunman was overpowered and arrested at the spot.
The earlier attack took place while Badal was performing ‘sewadar’ duties at the Golden Temple. He had been assigned the religious punishment, or ‘tankhah’, by the Akal Takht along with several other Akali Dal leaders over “mistakes” committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
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