Sukhbir Singh Badal attacked by Nihang Jaspal Singh in Nanded: A look at the growing list of Nihang-linked violence

Sukhbir Badal attacked by Nihang Sikh in Maharashtra gurdwara.
The accused has been arrested. (Source: The Hindu/India Today/ABP)

On 13th August (Thursday), Sukhbir Singh Badal, the head of the Shiromani Akali Dal and former deputy chief minister of Punjab, was assaulted with a sharp object inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded. It was a second attack on him. He was taken to a neighbouring hospital after suffering an injury to his right hand. The 62-year-old accused has been identified as advocate Jaspal Singh Tejpal, who is from Pune.

He was dressed in a blue Nihang Sikh outfit. He was subdued by Badal’s escorting security guards and turned over to the authorities. A cop named Santosh Kendre has also been injured during the incident. “A Nihang attacked Badal with a kirpan inside the gurdwara,” stated Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan.

“He (Badal) sustained a minor injury, as did a PSI (Police Sub-Inspector) from the Special Protection Unit. Both are currently in stable condition and out of danger. Both were hit on the arm. I believe Badal has a wound of about four to five centimetres on his right forearm, and doctors are currently treating him. It was a private visit. No official intimation was given to the collector’s office, but since he has Z-plus security, he had full police protection,” informed District Collector Dr Rahul Kardele.

The incident happened at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur, which is located about 15 kilometres from Takht Nanded Sahib on the outskirts of Nanded. It is one of the five Sikh temporal seats. Badal paid respect at the sacred place before making his way to the langar hall where he was targeted. Notably, the Nihang sect is in control of the site instead of the board in charge of the main Nanded Sahib Gurdwara.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the Nanded Superintendent of Police for details regarding the incident and ordered police to look into the attack’s motive. He also talked to Badal to inquire about his condition. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a conversation with Badal’s wife, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, to ask about his well-being following the incident.

The perpetrator had been working at the Mata Sahib Gurdwara near Nanded for two years. SAD blamed “panth virodhi (anti-Sikh) forces” for “hatching such conspiracies” and “demanded a thorough probe” into the matter. Badal has already been the subject of an attack when Khalistani terrorist Narain Singh Chaura tried to assassinate him outside the Golden Temple in December 2024.

It is worth noting that this is not the first instance in which Nihangs have attracted attention due to such attacks. Amritpal Singh Mehron, another Nihang, has been identified as the mastermind behind the murder of anti-Khalistani social media influencer Kanchan Kumari and was subsequently deported to India from the UAE.

On 20th June, a group of Nihang Sikhs stormed the Gurudwara Damdama Sahib in Nagrasu Gholteer, in the Rudraprayag district. They brandished swords and kidnapped two sevadars, causing panic and chaos.

58-year-old Sandeep Thapar, known as Gora and the chief of the Shiv Sena in Punjab, was viciously attacked with swords by four assailants in Nihang attire outside Ludhiana Civil Hospital in 2024. A Nihang Sikh took the life of a youth on suspicion of sacrilege at a gurudwara in Phagwara, Punjab that year.

Nihang Sikhs also opened fire at police officers in Sultanpur Lodhi of district Kapurthala, Punjab that same year. One policeman was reportedly killed, while two were injured. OpIndia documented at least 10 incidents in which grave violence was perpetrated by Nihangs in 2024.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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