Overview
- Sukhbir Singh Badal was wounded by a kirpan inside a gurdwara in Nanded on August 13 and a Special Protection Unit officer was also hurt, with authorities saying both are now stable and out of danger.
- Police arrested the alleged attacker, described in reports as a member of the Nihang order, following the attack at Gurudwara Mata Sahib Devaji in Mugat village.
- Badal traveled to Bathinda to offer shukrana at Takht Damdama Sahib and used the visit to make a public 'Save Punjab' appeal that accused unnamed forces of trying to 'finish off' Sikh and local leadership.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders condemned the assault, and the episode has renewed questions about security for senior figures despite Badal's Z-plus protection.
- The attack is the second targeting Badal in roughly two years, coming after a December 2024 attempt at the Golden Temple, and it adds a religious-institutional element to tensions that could sharpen political mobilization and security reviews in Punjab.