Harsimrat Kaur Badal wrote to HM Amit Shah demanding an NIA investigation into two alleged assassination attempts on her husband, Sukhbir Badal. She alleged a larger conspiracy and questioned the Punjab government's handling of the incidents.
Days after a dagger attack on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal at a Gurudwara in Maharashtra's Nanded, his wife and party MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation into the incident and into an earlier attack in December 2024 to examine any connection between both attack.
The MP alleged that the recent attack was part of a larger conspiracy, calling it a "dastardly and heinous assassination bid". "I write with a mix of personal pain and profound concern for our society, our state of Punjab and our country, particularly over the manner in which violence is being normalised and even justified by persons holding positions of power in Punjab, apparently as a means of pursuing political battles," she said in the letter.
Recent Attack in Nanded
Sukbir Singh Badal suffered a wound of around five centimetres on his right forearm after the dagger attack at a gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded on August 13, District Collector Rahul Kardele said. A Special Protection Unit police officer accompanying him was also injured while attempting to protect him.
The alleged attacker was taken into police custody and further legal action is underway, police said. Badal was discharged from the hospital the next day and has alleged that the attack was carried out to "destabilise" Punjab, vowing to fight against "anti-national elements".
'Assassination Attempts' with Disturbing Parallels
In the letter, Harsimrat Kaur Badal claimed that the two "assassination attempts" have several disturbing parallels and raise serious questions about whether they are connected. "Both attacks were carried out at sacred Guru Ghars, at a time when a devout Sikh was engaged in religious service and seeking the blessings of Akal Purakh and Guru Sahiban. Both attacks sought to eliminate what Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal represents as a moderate voice of Punjab and a proponent of peace and communal harmony," she said.
She alleged that the Punjab Government had failed to properly condemn the incident and questioned what could be expected from them. "I also wish to emphasise that the second assassination attempt raises serious questions about the manner in which the Punjab Government and the Punjab Police dealt with the first attack," she said.
Questions Over December 2024 Incident
Referring to the December 4, 2024 incident, she alleged that the attacker who had opened fire was seen moving around with a senior police officer after the attack. She further alleged that the accused was a "self-proclaimed terrorist".
"In the first incident at Shri Harmandar Sahib on December 4, 2024, the criminal and alleged extremist antecedents of the assailant, Narain Singh Chaura, were known to the Punjab Police. He has been described as a listed extremist, a self proclaimed terrorist and an alleged ISI operative. Inputs available to the authorities had also indicated that he had issued threats to eliminate Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal. Despite this, he was allegedly allowed to move freely within the premises and gain direct and unhindered access to an unprotected Mr Badal," she said.
"This raises serious questions about the security arrangements and the conduct of senior police officials present at the site. More disturbing are the circumstances surrounding the assailant's interactions with senior police officers before the attack. Senior local police officer Harpal Singh Randhawa, then SP, was seen mixing freely with the assailant and sharing jokes and laughter with him two days before the assassination attempt. These circumstances raise serious questions about whether there was any form of police connivance or prior knowledge. Such questions can only be conclusively addressed through an independent investigation," she added.
Call for Independent NIA Investigation
She criticised the Punjab Government over its approach to the attack, stating, "The conduct of the Punjab Government and its handling of the subsequent investigation also raises serious questions about the fairness and independence of the process. Instead of unequivocally condemning the attack and pursuing the assailant, senior members of the government have publicly appeared to justify the act as an expression of understandable anger."
Badal demanded strict action against all those found involved and said such action was necessary in the interest of the country and Punjab. "There is a deep public concern in Punjab about the credibility and impartiality of the politicised police establishment in the state. The circumstances surrounding these two attacks, including the conduct of certain police officials and the subsequent handling of the cases, make it imperative that the entire sequence of events be examined by an agency independent of the Punjab Government," she said.
"Only an independent central investigation can establish the full chain of events, identify the individuals and organisations involved, determine whether the two attacks are connected, examine any possible extremist or foreign links, and establish whether there was any failure, complicity or deliberate dereliction of duty by public officials," she added.
Demanding a central probe, she said, "I respectfully request you to order a high-level investigation by the National Investigation Agency into the assassination attempt of August 13, 2026 and the earlier attempt of December 4, 2024, and to examine whether the two incidents are connected and whether there is a larger conspiracy behind them." (ANI)
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