NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday shared emotional photographs of him sharing hugs with ASI Jasveer Singh and ASI Hira Singh, the Punjab Police officers who thwarted an attempt on his life.
The officers acted swiftly to divert the gun of the assailant, Narain Singh Chaura, who had opened fire at Badal while he was performing ‘sewadar’ duties at the main gate of Golden Temple, a penance for the “mistakes” committed by the Akali government during its tenure in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
“Risking your life to save someone else’s is an extraordinary act of bravery,” Badal wrote on social media, sharing his gratitude. “ASI Jasveer Singh and ASI Hira Singh have been like family to us since the days of Sr. Parkash Singh Ji Badal. My family and I are forever indebted to their courage and loyalty. May God bless them with a long life, good health, and happiness,” he added.
Chaura approached Badal, who was seated in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulled out a firearm. Television footage captured him moving deliberately toward Badal before drawing the weapon. However, the quick reflexes of ASI Jasveer Singh and his colleagues prevented a tragedy.
As Chaura tried to pull the trigger, the officers pounced on him, forcing his hands upwards. In the ensuing struggle, the firearm discharged, but the bullet hit the shrine’s entrance wall, narrowly missing Badal.
Following the incident, Narain Singh Chaura, identified as a former Khalistani terrorist, was taken into custody. A court in Amritsar has remanded him to three-day police custody as investigations continue, officials said.