Arvind Kejriwal praises Punjab Police for foiling bid on Sukhbir Singh Badal's life

New Delhi [India], December 5 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday praised the Punjab Police for successfully thwarting an assassination attempt on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, calling the bid on Badal's life part of a conspiracy against Punjab and "Punjabiyat."
"First of all, I would like to congratulate the Punjab Police that they foiled such a major mishap with their alertness. This is an example for the entire country that how good Policing can thwart any major mishap. The mishap shows a major conspiracy is being hatched against Punjab and Punjabiyat, to defame them," Arvind Kejriwal told reporters in Delhi.
AAP national convenor Kejriwal emphasised the need to prevent such conspiracies from succeeding while commending the Punjab Police's efforts.
"We should not let this conspiracy succeed at any cost. Punjab Police is doing good work. A few people in the BJP and media are raising their voices about law & order in Punjab - the Punjab Police showed them that they thwarted a major mishap due to their alertness. I would like to urge them to also speak about the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi," he added.
Multiple political leaders condemned the attack on Badal, with the Congress claiming the Punjab government being negligent with security and the Bharatiya Janata Party stated that the assassination attempt is "indicative of a complete breakdown of law and order".
Meanwhile, Sukhbir Singh Badal performed 'seva' at Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on Thursday.
The assailant, Narain Singh Chaura, attempted to shoot Badal while he was performing 'seva'. However, Badal was unharmed, and the attacker was quickly overpowered and arrested.
Badal was performing 'seva' after being declared a 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) in August by the Akal Takht due to his "mistakes" and "decisions" taken by the SAD-led government in the state from 2007 to 2017. As part of his punishment, Sukhbir Singh Badal was seen washing utensils at Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, and his family members also joined him in the service.
Following the attack, Bikram Singh Majithia, General Secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, criticised the Punjab Police SP, who was seen shaking hands with the attacker, Narain Singh Chaura, on CCTV footage.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia says, "Sukhbir Singh Badal is alive today by the grace of God...Yesterday I released a video of SP-level officer Harpal Singh Randhawa who is from Dera Baba Nanak shaking hands with Narain Singh Chaura (attacker). Have we ever seen a police officer shaking hands with an ISI agent (Narayan Singh Chaura)...Punjab Police has launched a cover-up operation and the High Court or Supreme Court should investigate this matter..."
Majithia also took on Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar for suggesting that Badal might have orchestrated the incident himself to gain sympathy. Majithia accused Bhullar of making such remarks to protect his position and cover up his failure.
Police sources revealed that the attacker, Narain Singh Chaura is a hardcore Pakistan returned terrorist and former head of Akal Federation and had authored books on guerrilla warfare and other seditious subjects.
"He was involved in smuggling of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the early years of militancy. He reportedly crossed into Pakistan in 1984 and remained there for several years before he returned to Punjab. During his stay in Pakistan, he was remotely in touch with radical organizations in Punjab and helping them," said a senior official.