The man who went to kill Sukhbir Singh Badal: Narain Singh Chaura

Narain Singh Chaura, an associate of the banned pro-Khalistan group Babbar Khalsa, was arrested for attempting to fire on former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple's gate in Amritsar on 4 December.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m. while Badal, confined to a wheelchair, was fulfilling a religious penance assigned by the Akal Takht.

As he performed sewa at the shrine's entrance, Chaura — who claims to be a follower of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala, attempted to attack him but was quickly overpowered by bystanders.

Sukhbir Singh Badal escaped unharmed. And he continues to carry out his duties today (5 December) at the Takht Kesgarh Sahib.

A video of the incident appeared, showing Chaura, who holds dual master’s degrees, slowly approaching the gate and then taking a gun out of his pocket with a shaky hand. A man nearby, who was later identified as Badal's security guard, quickly noticed him and approached Chaura.

The ex-militant was handed over to police, and as per media reports, he was taken to an undisclosed location.

Narain Singh Chaura, 68, hails from Chaura village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. He was born on 4 April 1956 to Chanam Singh and Gurnam Kaur. He was, in his youth, apparently influenced by the Khalistani separatist ideology.

He is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2004 Burail jailbreak. The daring escape involved digging a 104-foot tunnel that allowed four inmates to flee, including Babbar Khalsa leader Jagtar Singh Hawara and two of the assassins of late Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

According to the police, Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984 and was instrumental in smuggling weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy. He was allegedly associated with the Khalistan Liberation Force and the Akal Federation. While in Pakistan, he allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and other allegedly seditious literature.

Previously arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ropar districts in 2013, Chaura was granted bail in 2018.

But he continued his activities, as per the Punjab police.

The night before his attempted murder of the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, he told his wife that he will be taking part in a condolence meeting.

"Earlier, he has been lodged in jails in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Gurudspur," she was quoted as saying by the Punjabi media.

Chaura already has more than 21 criminal cases against him, special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla has told the media.

Punjab watchers say Chaura has consistently opposed the Badals, who are regarded as moderates. Aligned with the Hawara group, Chaura's opposition to the Badals dates back to the 1980s.

With IANS inputs