Ex-Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal attacked inside Nanded gurdwara: What happened and what we know so far

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in a knife attack inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded on Thursday. The attacker, dressed in Nihang attire, has been taken into custody.

Badal was attacked around 1.45 pm at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat while he was climbing down the steps. The attacker used a kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by Sikhs.

Badal was taken to a private hospital, where he received two to three stitches on his right hand. He is out of danger.

The SAD said the former Punjab deputy chief minister was in "high spirits" after the attack.

Badal served as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2009 to 2017.

HOW WAS BADAL ATTACKED?

According to the SAD, the attacker attempted to strike Badal but was stopped by security personnel accompanying him.

Badal is a Z+ security protectee.

Police officer Santosh Kendre, who was part of Badal's special protection unit, was also injured while trying to protect him.

Badal was accompanied by his wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a Lok Sabha MP, at the time.

Earlier in the day, the SAD chief had visited Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded with his wife.

SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said Badal suffered a minor injury to his arm and was undergoing treatment. "He is completely fine and in 'Chardi Kala' (high spirits)," Kler said.

WHO ATTACKED SUKHBIR BADAL?

Police identified the attacker as a Nihang, a member of a martial order of Sikhs. The accused was taken into custody immediately after the incident.

The motive is yet to be established.

Kler said Maharashtra Police would investigate the attack and determine whether there was a conspiracy behind it.

Alleging that "panthic leaders" were being targeted, Kler said, "Some 'panth virodhi' (anti-panth) forces are hatching such conspiracies."

SAD leader Virsa Singh Valtoha also demanded a thorough investigation. "There should be a thorough probe. Who are the forces behind such attack," he said.

PM MODI CALLS HARSIMRAT KAUR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also enquired about Badal's health.

The prime minister spoke to Harsimrat Kaur Badal over the phone and asked about the SAD chief's condition, official sources said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also called Badal and enquired about his health. He sought details from the Nanded SP and ordered a probe into the attack, including its motive.

BADAL HAD SURVIVED AN ATTACK BEFORE

Thursday's incident is the second attack on Badal in less than two years.

In December 2024, former terrorist Narain Singh Chaura opened fire at Badal from close range outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Chaura approached Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair because of a fractured leg, and pulled out a gun. He fired, but missed Badal. The bullet struck the shrine's entrance wall.

A plainclothes policeman and others overpowered Chaura and handed him over to the police.

At the time, Badal was performing the duty of a sewadar outside the Golden Temple as part of a religious penance ordered by the Akal Takht over "mistakes" committed during the SAD government's rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

(With inputs from PTI)