Bikram Majithia demands CBI probe into Sukhbir Badal attack in Nanded, questions security failures
PTC Web Desk: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has demanded a CBI inquiry into the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal at Nanded, saying the incident raises serious questions about the security of the SAD president and the handling of an earlier attack at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Addressing a press conference, Bikram Singh Majithia strongly condemned the Nanded incident and said the failed attack should not be treated as an isolated event. He said Sukhbir Singh Badal was saved from a potentially fatal attack by the intervention of people present at the gurdwara.
Majithia said the Nanded incident was the second time Sukhbir Singh Badal had been targeted at a major Sikh religious site.
Referring to the December 2024 incident outside Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, he said the two incidents should be examined together instead of being treated separately.
According to Majithia, Sukhbir Badal had been visiting different gurdwaras in Nanded with his family and was participating in religious activities before the attack.
He said the family had travelled to Nanded to pay obeisance and perform seva, and photographs and videos from the visit showed Sukhbir Singh Badal receiving respect at the Takht and other gurdwaras.
Majithia said violence has no place inside a gurdwara and strongly criticised anyone who enters a religious place with the intention of harming another person.
He said wearing Sikh attire or a turban does not by itself make someone a follower of the Guru.
“A Sikh follows the path shown by the Guru. A person who attacks people at a gurdwara cannot be described as a Sikh merely because of his appearance,” Majithia said during the press conference.
He also recalled the Sikh teachings of Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vand Chhako, saying the principles of Sikhism are based on devotion, honest living and sharing.
A major part of Majithia's press conference focused on the December 2024 attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple.
He referred to the alleged attack by Narain Singh Chaura, a former Khalistani militant, and questioned how the accused was able to get close to Sukhbir Badal despite the security arrangements in place at the time.
Majithia alleged that the earlier investigation was not conducted properly and claimed that the accused was released on bail within a few months.
He argued that a more thorough investigation into the earlier case could potentially have helped prevent another attack.
Majithia also raised questions about the role of police officers who were involved in security arrangements during the earlier incident.
He referred to police officials, including Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, and questioned whether all aspects of the earlier case had been properly investigated.
Majithia said authorities should examine whether there were any intelligence or security failures and whether information available to law enforcement was acted upon appropriately.
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He also questioned why the earlier case did not lead to a more comprehensive investigation into the alleged background and network of the accused.
Majithia called for a CBI probe into the latest attack and said the investigation should be independent and comprehensive. He said the inquiry should establish who planned or carried out the attack? Whether the Nanded incident had any connection with the earlier attack on Sukhbir Badal. Whether there were intelligence or security lapses. Whether anyone assisted or facilitated the alleged attacker. Whether the earlier investigation overlooked important leads.
He said the objective should be to uncover the complete truth rather than conduct a superficial inquiry.
Majithia warned against what he described as a repeat of the handling of the earlier attack. He said the latest incident should not end with a routine investigation and insisted that all available evidence and possible connections must be examined. He also appealed for stronger security for Sukhbir Singh Badal and his family.
- PTC NEWS
