Sukhbir Badal Stabbed With Kirpan Inside Nanded Gurdwara, Second Attack in Two Years

Sukhbir Singh Badal got stitches in his hand Thursday.

The Shiromani Akali Dal president was attacked with a kirpan, a ceremonial Sikh dagger, at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur on the outskirts of Nanded, Maharashtra, according to Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan, who spoke to PTI. Badal was walking down a flight of stairs, or toward the langar hall depending on the account, after paying obeisance at the shrine when the attacker struck.

He took two to three stitches on his right hand and was declared out of danger by Nanded Collector Rahul Kardile, according to The Hindu. Inspector Santosh Kendre, part of Badal's special protection unit, was also injured trying to protect him, per multiple outlets including India Today and Hindustan Times.

Who did it

The attacker has been identified as Jaspal Singh, a 62-year-old lawyer from Pune who had worked as a sewadar (volunteer) at the Mata Sahib gurdwara for two years, according to India Today and The Hindu. He was dressed in the traditional blue attire of the Nihang order, a martial Sikh sect, when he approached Badal.

Nanded SP Abinash Kumar pushed back directly on early reports of multiple attackers. "Only one accused is involved, a Nihang sevadar, who worked at the gurdwara," he told reporters, according to The Hindu. Some initial coverage suggested two people were involved, and Kumar shut that down on the record.

The gurdwara itself matters here. It's controlled by a splinter group of the Nihang order called Shiromani Panth Akali Budha Dal 96 Crori, headed by Baba Maan Singh, and is not managed by the official board that runs the main Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib gurdwara in Nanded, according to Hindustan Times. Local functionary Jaimal Singh Dhillon told the paper the attacker is believed to be from Punjab.

This isn't the first time

Badal has now survived two serious attacks in under two years. On December 4, 2024, a former Babbar Khalsa International militant named Narayan Singh Chaura opened fire on him at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, according to Times of India. Badal was serving religious penance at the time, seated in a wheelchair with a placard around his neck, atoning for alleged misconduct during his 2007-2017 tenure as Punjab deputy chief minister. A sewadar shoved the gunman's arm up before he could fire, and the bullet went into the air. Nobody was hurt.

The pattern repeats: a religious penance setting followed by an attempted attack by someone embedded in the security or ceremonial environment.

The political reaction

Reaction came fast and from across party lines. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the attack "extremely disturbing" and phoned Badal directly, according to India Today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Badal's wife, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, to check on his condition. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a police probe and directed investigators to determine motive, and he personally called Badal to check on him.

Akali Dal leaders were far less charitable about how this happened. Badal's brother-in-law, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, called it "a total intelligence failure," telling PTI, "We need to realise that no one attacks at 'Guru ghar'. Those who are atheists do such acts." Party national vice-president San