Shots fired at India’s iconic Golden Temple (VIDEO)
Prominent Sikh politician Sukhbir Singh Badal has survived an assassination attempt after a gunman opened fire outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, northern India, on Wednesday. The temple is a holy shrine for the Sikh community and the site of tragic events in the 1980s, when hundreds were killed during an Indian government operation.
The shooter was quickly apprehended by police and was later identified as Narain Singh Chaura, a former Khalistani militant with a history of legal issues, according to Hindustan Times.
Badal, a former deputy chief minister of Punjab and a leading figure in the Shiromani Akali Dal party, was in a wheelchair when the incident occurred. He escaped injury as the bullet struck a nearby wall.
The attack was captured on camera by journalists assembled at the temple, where Badal was performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ – a term for volunteers who assist in gurdwaras and community services for religious reasons. This act was part of his atonement for what he termed the “mistakes” made during his tenure from 2007 to 2017, according to officials from the Akal Takht, the highest religious authority in Sikhism.
#WATCH | Punjab: Bullets fired at Golden Temple premises in Amritsar where SAD leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, are offering 'seva' under the religious punishments pronounced for them by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on 2nd December.Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/CFQaoiqLkx
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2024
Footage showed Chaura approaching the temple entrance, discreetly drawing a firearm before shooting at Badal. Other individuals, including police officers in plain clothes, swiftly subdued the attacker, as reported by local media.
“Thanks to the vigilance and deployment of our police, this attempt was thwarted,” said Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, confirming the arrest of the gunman. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
This shooting echoes the violence of 1984, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered military action at the Golden Temple to dislodge armed Sikh separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers. This operation – code-named Blue Star – enraged Sikhs globally and spurred the Khalistan movement, which advocates for an independent Sikh state carved out of Punjab and surrounding areas.
The Khalistan movement has been central to rising tensions between India and Canada, especially following allegations from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that India was involved in the assassination in British Columbia of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a key figure in the Khalistan separatist movement. India views Khalistan as a national threat.
Tensions escalated in October when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading both nations to expel six diplomats in retaliation. Trudeau condemned India’s actions as a “fundamental error,” while New Delhi denied the allegations, claiming they were part of a broader strategy to undermine India for political gain. Despite the challenges, the Sikh diaspora in Canada wields considerable electoral power, although extreme factions within the Khalistan movement represent a minority.
