Chandigarh: A local court in Amritsar on Thursday sent Narain Singh Chaura, an ex-terrorist, who had attempted to shoot senior Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal outside Golden Temple, Amritsar, where the latter was serving his religious punishment decreed by Akal Takht Wednesday morning, to three-day police remand.
Police said that while they had sought remand for seven days, the court gave three days' remand.
Sukhbir, 62, was on the 'punishment' guard duty at the Golden Temple on Wednesday - as a part of religious punishment decreed by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs - when Chaura attempted to fire at him though was swiftly overpowered by alert security personnel deployed there in civilian clothes in the nick of the time, compelling him to fire in air. Chaura was subsequently immediately nabbed by security personnel.
SUKHBIR SERVES AS GUARD AT TAKHT KESGARH SAHIB
Meanwhile, a day after he narrowly escaped an assassination bid when an ex-Khalistani militant opened fire at him outside Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sukhbir Badal on Thursday appeared for the same duty at Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, with heightened security.
According to information, senior police officers visited Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Rupnagar (earlier called Ropar) and ensured elaborate security arrangements were in place ahead of Sukhbir Badal’s visit there.
Like the past two days at Golden Temple, on duty, Sukhbir, could be seen sitting in his wheel-chair, in Gurdwaras’ blue uniform of 'sevadar' and holding a spear in hand at the entrance of Takht Kesgarh Sahib.
It may be recalled that Sukhbir and another senior Akali leader and his former Cabinet colleague Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa have been awarded religious punishment to serve as sevadar and also clean the dishes at the historical gurdwaras. Other leaders have also been directed to clean washrooms. While he has performed this duty at Golden Temple, he would have to perform this duty for two-days at Takht Kesgarh Sahib and later at Takht Damdama Sahib, district Bathinda, Darbar Sahib. Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib for two days each.
For record, Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, which had pronounced the Akali leader 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) about three months ago, on Monday awarded 'Tankhah' (religious punishments) to them for mistakes made by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) during its rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017 for the 'mistakes' committed by SAD government from 2007 to 2017 and its failure to address key issues of the Sikh community, when Sukhbir was the party leader, and deputy chief minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, the chief minister. Akal Takht has also posthumously stripped
