Nanded, August 13: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was rushed to a private medical facility in Nanded, Maharashtra, on Thursday following a sudden attack that left him with a hand injury. The former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister had just concluded a visit to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib along with his family, including Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, when the incident occurred on the city’s outskirts.
Initial reports indicate that an individual identified as a Nihang Sikh carried out the attack using a traditional kirpan. Law enforcement officers stationed near the site acted swiftly, taking the assailant into custody immediately after the occurrence.
“The injury to his hand is not serious, and he is receiving appropriate medical care including stitches,” party sources declared while addressing the status of his health.
Footage captured in the aftermath showed Badal walking away from the scene with a saffron cloth bound tightly around his right hand. A member of his personal security detail was also wounded during the physical altercation while attempting to intervene.
The incident marks the second high-profile security breach involving Badal in recent years. In December 2024, the Akali leader emerged unharmed after surviving a separate assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where he was serving religious punishment assigned by the Akal Takht.
