Amritsar, December 8 (IANS). An Amritsar court on Sunday extended the police custody of Narayan Singh Chaura, accused of attacking Sukhbir Singh Badal, till December 11.
On December 4, outside the Golden Temple, a person named Narayan Singh Chaura had fired at Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair while performing the duty of a sevadar. However, Badal had a narrow escape and the bullet hit the wall. Narayan Singh Chaura has been active in militancy and Khalistani activities in Punjab for a long time and has been jailed earlier also.
Chaura was earlier sent to three-day police custody till December 8. Although the Punjab Police had sought seven days’ remand and said it wanted to know the motive behind the attack, the Amritsar court granted only three days’ remand.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia said a party delegation would meet Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and hand over videographic evidence to him.
Akal Takht, the highest religious body of the Sikhs, had in 2015 sentenced former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal to cleaning the kitchen and bathroom in the Gurudwara for taking the side of Dera Sachcha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. However, due to injury in his leg, he was keeping guard outside Darbar Sahib sitting in a wheelchair.
Sukhbir Singh Badal was declared Tankhaiya by the Akal Takht in August. He was convicted of religious malpractice for mistakes made by the party when it was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. These included granting amnesty to Gurmeet Ram Rahim in sacrilege cases, which had led to clashes between Dera followers and Sikhs in parts of Punjab.
–IANS
AKS/AKJ
