Sukhbir Badal attacker Chaura sent to 3-day police remand

A court in Amritsar on Thursday sent former Khalistani terrorist Narayan Singh Chaura, who opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal outside Golden Temple on Wednesday, to three-day police remand, officials said.

Chaura (68), whose bid on the Akali leader’s life was foiled by alert Punjab Police personnel present on the spot in plainclothes, was produced in the court amid tight security on Thursday.

The Punjab Police demanded seven-day remand for Chaura, but the court granted three days, a defence counsel told reporters in Amritsar.

Chaura will be produced before the court again on December 8.

The counsel said Chaura has been booked under Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the Arms Act.

While seeking remand, police said it wanted to find out from where Chaura procured the weapon used in the crime.

Police also said it wanted to ascertain the motive behind the attack.

Chaura on Wednesday opened fire from a close range at Badal, who was performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ at the main gate of the Sikh shrine as a religious penance, but missed as he was overpowered by plainclothes policemen.

The audacious attack was captured on camera by mediapersons camped outside Golden Temple to cover Badal serving his penance for the “mistakes” committed by the Akali government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

Television footage showed Chaura slowly moving towards Sukhbir Badal, who was sitting on a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and suddenly pulling out a gun from his pocket.

As Chaura tried to pull the trigger, an alert Punjab Police ASI pounced on him, grabbed his hands, pushed them upwards after which the attacker was overpowered with the help of other security personnel and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members.

In the melee, the gun fired but fortunately the bullet hit the entrance wall of the shrine behind Sukhbir Badal, who escaped unhurt.