Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], December 4 : Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring blamed "100 per cent negligence" of the State government in the attempted assassination of Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Condemning the firing at Badal, Warring demanded for "strictest" punishment for the accused and also asked the Aam Aadmi Party-led State government to suspend the Additional Commissioner of Police.
Speaking to ANI, Warring said, "This should not have happened. I consider firing at Sukhbir Singh Badal, 100 per cent negligence of the Government. This shows the condition of law and order situation in Punjab. Whoever fired bullets should be given the strictest punishment. I condemn this in the strongest of terms...ACP should be suspended, immediate action should be taken against him."
There was an attempt on the life of Badal this morning at the premises of the Golden Temple in Amritsar where he was performing penance under the religious punishments pronounced by Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
According to the Punjab CMO, the attacker identified as Narain Singh Chaura was immediately nabbed by the police. The former deputy CM Badal was not hurt.
Additionally, Congress leader Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa condemned the attack and criticised police for not taking precautions beforehand.
"This is wrong. This should have never happened...If they (The police) say that have nabbed him (attacker) after so much happened, if they knew that he was suspicious and freely roaming around then they should have taken precautions beforehand. This is condemnable...Ever since this Govt came to power in Punjab, there has been a law and order situation everywhere," Bajwa said.
During the attempted assassination, Badal was sitting at the entrance of the Golden Temple with a plaque card around his neck as part of the 'tankhah' religious punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht Board for religious misconduct during his tenure from 2007 to 2017.
Badal was declared a 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) in August by Akal Takht, who announced religious punishment for him. Badal, who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2007 to 2017, Badal is doing 'sewadar' work - washing utensils, cleaning shoes and bathrooms - at the Golden Temple. The Akal Takht issued the punishments for him citing the "mistakes" and "some decisions" taken by SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.