Sukhbir Singh Badal Attacked At Nanded Gurdwara, Sewadar Arrested; Police Probe Motive

Nanded, Aug 13: The man who allegedly attacked Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal inside a gurdwara near Maharashtra's Nanded city on Thursday was serving as a ‘sewadar’ there for the last two years, and hails from Pune, police said.

Earlier, police had said that the attacker was a member of the 'Nihang' order of Sikhs.

Jaspal Singh, the accused, is 60-62 years old and was serving as a sewadar or volunteer at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat, said a senior official.

During preliminary questioning, he referred to the drug menace in Punjab but his exact reasons for attacking Badal were yet to be ascertained, said Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is also conducting a probe into the matter along with the police, he said, adding that the condition of Badal, who is undergoing treatment, was stable.

Jaspal Singh holds commerce and law degrees, and is based in Pune with his family, said SP Rohan, adding that he was staying alone in Nanded.

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"We have arrested him and interrogation is underway. We are checking his background....Initially he said he was angry about the drugs (problem) in Punjab. But the exact reason for the attack will come out only after a detailed investigation. We have also not come across any gang connection or criminal background of the attacker," the SP said.

Badal, a former Punjab deputy Chief Minister, was attacked around 1.45 pm at the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat, about 15 km from Nanded. He was rushed to hospital where he received two to three stitches on his right hand.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)