Attack on Sukhbir Badal Inside Gurdwara Sparks Security Concerns.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured after a man allegedly attacked him with a kirpan inside a gurdwara near Nanded in Maharashtra. Police detained the suspected attacker, identified as Jaspal Singh, a sewadar, and are investigating his motive. Badal suffered an injury to his right hand and received stitches, while a security officer was also hurt while intervening. The incident has prompted SAD leaders to question security and intelligence arrangements, although police have not yet established any wider conspiracy.

Attack on Sukhbir Badal Inside Gurdwara: Intelligence Failure Under Scrutiny

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was injured in a minor kirpan attack at a gurdwara in Nanded, leading to a police probe and renewed security concerns.

The attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal took place Thursday afternoon inside Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat, around 15 kilometers from Nanded town, Maharashtra police said. Police said Jaspal Singh, a sewadar at the gurdwara and a member of the Nihang sect, allegedly attacked Badal, 64, around 1.45 pm.

The Shiromani Akali Dal chief had an injury on his right hand and was taken to hospital, where he got two to three stitches. Jaspal Singh had been detained after allegedly attacking Badal with a kirpan inside the gurdwara, said Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan.

Rohan said Jaspal Singh, about 60 to 62 years old, had been a sewadar at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat for about two years. Singh is a commerce graduate and has a degree in law, police said. He lives with his family in Pune and was staying alone in Nanded before the incident.

Rohan said Singh initially told investigators he was motivated by anger over Punjab's drug problem, but the precise motive was under investigation, Rohan said. Rohan said investigators also found no evidence in the early stages of the investigation that Singh was involved in any gang activity or had a criminal background. 

During the attack, the SAD chief Badal was protected by his special protection unit officer Santosh Kendre, who was injured while intervening. Visuals that emerged after the incident showed Badal walking inside a hospital building with his right hand covered with a cloth after the treatment.

Security Questions Follow Sukhbir Singh Badal Attack

Badal enjoys Z-plus security cover, which is provided by the Central Industrial Security Force only in Punjab and Delhi, with about 40 personnel.

The attack on Badal was carried out when he was being escorted by the personnel of Punjab Police. Shiromani Akali Dal leaders have raised questions over the intelligence and security arrangements made for Badal’s visit to Maharashtra.

Badal’s brother-in-law and senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the Badal family would be in Maharashtra from August 12 to 14.

Majithia described the incident as an intelligence failure and said that an attack inside a gurdwara was a matter of grave concern. He also questioned the motives behind repeated attempts on Badal.

He said the attacker first struck Badal’s hand and then tried to stab Badal in the chest with a knife, but police have not publicly confirmed the sequence of events.

Majithia also asked who was behind the successive attempts on Sukhbir Badal and whether the forces inimical to Hindu-Sikh unity and communal harmony were behind it.

SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said that Badal had suffered a minor injury to his arm and was being treated and was still in high spirits after the incident.

The incident took place in Maharashtra, and Maharashtra Police will probe the matter, Kler said, adding that panthic leaders had been targeted and conspiracies hatched time and again.

SAD leader Virsa Singh Valtoha also demanded a thorough probe and asked whether some other forces were involved in the incident.

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Political Leaders Condemn Violence at Sikh Shrine

The incident happened in a Nanded gurdwara, after which Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry and also spoke to Badal to know about his health.

Fadnavis also sought information from Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan and asked police to investigate the motive, the sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, wife of Badal, to know the condition of her husband after the attack.

Earlier in the day, Badal along with Harsimrat Kaur Badal paid their obeisance at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, one of the five Takhts of Sikhism.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj condemned the incident and said that violence in the holy gurdwara is against its sanctity and also the image of the Sikh Panth in general.

Condemning the attack, Baltej Pannu, general secretary of Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party, said violence against political leaders had no place in society.

R P Singh, a senior leader of the BJP, said the violence was unacceptable. “Differences of political opinion are natural in a democracy, but they can never be a justification for violence,” he said.

Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also condemned the incident and said violence has no place, especially around holy Takhts of Sikhism.

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar MLA Rohit Pawar expressed concern and said the attack tarnished Maharashtra's reputation and demanded strict punishment for those responsible.

Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader Ambadas Danve also condemned the incident and said that even after the suspect has been arrested, the police should conduct a comprehensive investigation.

Political Context and Previous Attack on Badal

Badal had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, fueling speculation of a possible renewed alliance between the SAD and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Shiromani Akali Dal had quit the National Democratic Alliance six years ago following disagreements over three agricultural laws which were later repealed by the Modi government.

The political developments have given Badal's recent engagement with Modi ahead of the assembly elections in Punjab due early next year a wider political significance.

The Nanded incident is the second reported attack on Badal after an attempt on his life outside the Golden Temple in December 2024.

Badal was on sewadar duty at the temple entrance at the time of the earlier incident, when the Akal Takht had imposed tankhah, or religious punishment, for alleged mistakes during his party’s rule in Punjab.

In that case, the attacker was Narain Singh Chaura, who was overpowered by people near the spot and handed over to police.

Badal, sitting in a wheelchair with a fractured leg, was reportedly confronted by Chaura, who pulled a firearm from his pocket.

The ongoing probe will reveal the exact motive of Jaspal Singh, the timeline of events, and whether there were any other persons or security lapses involved, he said.

The core questions for Sprouts News remain the circumstances of the attack, the suspect’s background, the adequacy of security arrangements, and what the Maharashtra Police discovered.