Describing the recent attack on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal inside the gurdwara premises in Nanded as an assault on Sikh principles, his wife and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Saturday said those who attack a person inside a Guru Ghar are “Guru-dokhis” and cowards.
Addressing an annual political conference organised in memory of martyr Karnail Singh Isru of the Goa Liberation struggle at Isru village under Khanna constituency, Kaur made an emotional appeal to people to strengthen the SAD and “snub the forces trying to disturb Punjab’s communal harmony”.
Recounting Thursday’s incident, Kaur said the attacker was standing barely an arm’s length away from the family when they were leaving Gurdwara Mata Saheb Deva Ji Mugat in Nanded after paying obeisance. Kaur, her son, two daughters and a son-in-law were accompanying Sukhbir Singh Badal when the attack happened.
“Being a Guru’s Sikh, we had no suspicion on anyone around us. But we were taken aback when the attacker took out his two-foot kirpan from his attire and attacked Sukhbirji. His target was to hit him straight in the chest, but Sukhbirji immediately brought his hand before that kirpan. The kirpan pierced from one side of the wrist towards the other side and touched the chest, but before it could hit the chest, the security personnel overpowered the person,” she said.
She said Sukhbir Badal suffered a deep wound and was bleeding profusely. “Over 150 stitches were sutured to treat the deep wound. It was hard for us to find any medical help nearby. He is still recovering.”
Kaur said Sukhbir Badal had asked her to attend the Isru conference and convey his message that he was not afraid of such attacks.
Linking the attack to the larger political narrative in Punjab, Kaur said the 80th Independence Day was an occasion to seek “freedom” from “Guru-dokhis, drugs, debt, fake promises and false advertisements” by the AAP government.
Earlier, senior SAD leader and former minister Mahesh Inder Grewal said, “Only panth virodhi and desh virodhi people are trying to weaken SAD. It is high time to make Badal saab the next CM of Punjab to restore harmony.”
Meanwhile, the AAP also organised a state-level program at Isru, where Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema paid tributes at the memorial of Karnail Singh Isru. The Congress organised a separate political conference, while the BJP stayed away from holding any political conference at Isru.
