NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked near a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday, leaving him with injuries to his hand. One of his security personnel also sustained injuries.Badal, who has a ‘Z+’ security cover, was injured after Jaspal Singh, a man believed to be around 60-62 years old, attacked him with a ‘kirpan’ (ceremonial dagger) inside a gurdwara.Despite hours of questioning by multiple agencies, police were yet to establish a clear motive for the attack.Police said Jaspal Singh, who holds degrees in commerce and law and is a resident of Pune, was taken to the Nanded police headquarters for questioning.“Despite long hours of interrogation, the police are yet to find a concrete reason for the attack. So far, we have not found any criminal links or any such connections involving the accused in this case,” an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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“We are interrogating the accused, and it will go on for a long time. The former Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal is fine and will be discharged soon,” he added.The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have joined the local police in the investigation, an official told PTI.Police have registered a case against Singh at Mudkhed police station in Nanded under Sections 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to attempt to murder; 118(1), relating to voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons or means; and 121(2), concerning voluntarily causing grievous hurt to a public servant to deter them from performing their duty.Singh had been working as a sewadar, or volunteer, at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat for the past two years and was living alone in Nanded, police said.Police officer Santosh Kendre, who is part of Badal’s Special Protection Unit, was injured while shielding him during the attack. Badal was walking down a flight of stairs when Singh allegedly attacked him.