[REVISION HISTORY]

Attacks on Sukhbir Singh Badal and associates

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2026-08-14 13:03 UTC → 2026-08-14 14:04 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Violence targeting associates and leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has been reported in India. In July 2026, a close aide to Sukhbir Badal was shot in the Mansa district of Punjab. Following this, in on August 13, 2026, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the President of the SAD and former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, was attacked with a kirpan at the Mata Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded, Maharashtra. The assailant, identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh, a Nihang, was apprehended by police. The attacker reportedly claimed he acted on a ‘divine order’ from Waheguru. Badal sustained a deep wound to his right forearm that required a 90-minute surgery to repair a tendon injury and the ulnar artery nerve. Security Inspector Santosh Kendre was also injured while intervening. Following his discharge from ~~the hospital,~~ Yashosai Hospital, Badal alleged that the attack was part of a ‘larger conspiracy’ intended to disrupt communal harmony and seize political control in Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. He noted that this was the second time he had been targeted at a major Sikh shrine, following a previous incident at the Golden Temple in late 2024. The attack drew widespread condemnation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached out to the Badal family to express concern. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a thorough investigation into the security lapse, and Harsimrat Kaur Badal noted that central investigating agencies have been directed to coordinate with Maharashtra police regarding the probe.

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