2 weeks ago
Akal Takht, SGPC condemn kirpan attack on Badal in Nanded
A very important Sikh leader named Sukhbir Singh Badal went to a holy Sikh place called a gurdwara in Nanded to pray.
While he was there, a man hurt him with a special ceremonial knife called a kirpan.
The man who did it was caught by the police.
Mr. Badal was hurt on his hand, and doctors gave him a few stitches, but he is safe now.
His wife, who is also a member of Parliament, was with him at the time.
Other Sikh leaders were very sad and upset because hurting someone at a gurdwara is seen as a very wrong thing to do.
They said a true Sikh would never attack someone who came to pray.
The leader of the state of Maharashtra asked the police to investigate what happened.
This was the second time Mr. Badal was attacked in about two years, and Sikh leaders are asking for a fair investigation.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a kirpan by a nihang inside the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji complex in Nanded, Maharashtra.
The attack took place around 1:45 pm on Thursday while Badal, accompanied by his wife and Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was visiting the gurdwara to pay obeisance.
Badal, 64, received two to three stitches on his right hand at a hospital and is reported to be out of danger; the assailant was taken into custody.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj and SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami condemned the attack, calling it an insult to the sanctity of gurdwaras and a blow to the Sikh community.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe; the attack was the second on Badal in around two years, following a December 2024 assassination attempt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
- Who
- Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal and former deputy chief minister of Punjab, who was visiting the gurdwara with his wife, MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
- What
- A nihang attacked Badal with a kirpan inside the Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji complex, injuring his right hand; he received two to three stitches and was reported out of danger, and the assailant was taken into custody.
- Where
- Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji complex in Nanded, Maharashtra.
- When
- Around 1:45 pm on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- Why
- No motive was officially stated; the Akal Takht Jathedar and SGPC leaders condemned the attack as an insult to the sanctity of gurdwaras and damage to the Sikh community's image, and it came about two years after a December 2024 assassination attempt on Badal at the Golden Temple.
Key facts
- Victim
- Sukhbir Singh Badal
- Roles
- President, Shiromani Akali Dal; former deputy chief minister of Punjab
- Age
- 64
- Location
- Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji complex, Nanded, Maharashtra
- Weapon
- Kirpan (ceremonial dagger); assailant was a nihang taken into custody
- Injuries
- Two to three stitches on right hand; out of danger
- Previous attack
- December 2024 assassination attempt at the Golden Temple, Amritsar
- Probe
- Ordered by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Quotes
Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj
Akal Takht Jathedar, senior Sikh religious authority
“"Attacking Badal, who had gone to the Guru’s house to offer prayers, is not only an expression of an ‘anti–Panth’ mindset, but also a direct insult to the honour and sanctity of the Guru’s house."”
theprint.in
“"Unfortunately, such an incident has taken place at such a sacred place. A person who commits such an act cannot be a Sikh."”
theprint.in
Sources
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