A former terrorist opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal from a close range while he was performing the duty of ‘sewadar’ outside the Golden Temple here on Wednesday but missed as he was overpowered by a plainclothes policeman.
The audacious attack was captured on cameras of mediapersons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal’s penance for “mistakes” committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.
Television footage showed the shooter slowly walking towards Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair due to a fractured leg, and pulling out a gun from his pocket. A police official in plainclothes standing near Badal quickly intervened and grabbed the attacker’s hands. In the melee, a bullet hit the wall behind Badal, who escaped unhurt.
Soon Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force members also intervened.