Chandigarh, Aug 13: Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, an apex gurdwara body, condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal inside the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji complex in Nanded, Maharashtra, around 1:45 pm on Thursday.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) called for a probe.
Akal Takht jathedar Gragajj said Sikh devotees from across the country and the world visit gurdwaras to pay obeisance and pray for the welfare of all. "Unfortunately, such an incident has taken place at such a sacred place. A person who commits such an act cannot be a Sikh," he said.
Sixty-four-year-old Badal, the former deputy chief minister of Punjab, was attacked by a man with a kirpan (ceremonial dagger worn by Sikhs) while visiting the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat, according to the Maharashtra Police.
Nanded SP Neelabh Rohan told PTI, "A nihang (member of a martial order of Sikhs) attacked Badal with a kirpan inside the gurdwara. The assailant has been taken into custody." The assailant has been taken into custody, the IPS officer said.
A local official in Nanded said Badal is out of danger. He was taken to a hospital where he received two to three stitches on his right hand, the official said.
In a statement, Jathedar (high priest) Gargajj said Badal, along with his family, visited Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, Nanded, as Sikh devotees to pay obeisance at the Sikh shrines. Nanded is a sacred town for the Sikh community.
Badal was accompanied by his wife and Akali Dal Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal at the time of the incident.
This is the second attack on him in around two years. In December 2024, Badal survived an assassination attempt while he was performing 'sewadar' duty at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after the Akal Takht pronounced the 'tankhah' (religious punishment) for "mistakes" committed during the party's rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
The Jathedar said the Singh Sahibs and management of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib had accorded him due honour and respect earlier in the day, but the attack on him by a mischievous person was highly condemnable.
Jathedar Gargajj said such an incident not only undermines the dignity and sanctity of gurdwaras but also causes serious damage to the image of the Sikh community.
The Jathedar said a true Sikh of the Guru could never attack any Sikh who had come to a gurdwara to pay obeisance.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the attack on Badal, an official said.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said an attack on the head of a representative Sikh political organisation at a sacred place symbolising the Sikh faith is painful and unfortunate.
Attacking Badal, who had gone to the Guru's house to offer prayers, is not only an expression of an 'anti-Panth' mindset, but also a direct insult to the honour and sanctity of the Guru's house, said Dhami.
Every Sikh comes to the Guru's house with devotion, and an attack on any devotee is a direct blow to the Sikh faith, he said. 'Anti-Panth' forces want to weaken the community's strength by making Sikhs fight among themselves. Such actions are taking place precisely to fulfil these designs, he said.
An impartial investigation should be conducted, and those guilty and the forces working behind it should be exposed, said the SGPC president in a statement.
Badal is the son of the late Parkash Singh Badal, five-time chief minister of Punjab. During the SAD-BJP government, Sukhbir Badal became the deputy chief minister in 2009 and was elected as MLA from Jalalabad constituency in a by-election. He was re-elected from Jalalabad in the 2012 assembly polls and remained the deputy CM. He was again elected from Jalalabad in 2017.
Sukhbir Badal fought the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and became MP from the Ferozepur seat. Earlier, he was elected from the Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency in 1996, 1998, and 2004.
He completed his schooling at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, earned an MA from Panjab University in 1985, and an MBA from California State University, USA in 1991.
