Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked in a gurdwara, and an Uttar Pradesh court approved the withdrawal of a case related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots against BJP leaders.
On March 8, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked in a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded district by an individual dressed as a Nihang Sikh. The attack occurred at Gurdwara Mata Sahib and left Badal with injuries to his arm and shoulder. A spokesperson for the Shiromani Akali Dal stated that Badal is 'perfectly fine' and out of danger.
In an unrelated incident, on March 8, an Uttar Pradesh court approved the prosecution’s request to withdraw a case related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots against 25 Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and persons associated with Hindutva groups. The court allowed the case to be dropped against state minister Kapil Dev Agarwal, former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan, former state minister Suresh Rana, ex-BJP MPs Bhartendu Singh and Sohanvir Singh, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sadhvi Prachi, among others.
Communal violence had erupted in Muzaffarnagar in September 2013 after BJP leaders, including Suresh Rana, former party MLA Sangeet Som and former MP Bharatendra Singh, allegedly made inflammatory speeches. At least 60 persons were killed and thousands of Muslim families were displaced in the riots that followed.
It is worth noting that this was not the first attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal. On December 4, 2024, former militant Narain Singh Chaura had opened fire at the Akali Dal chief at the Golden Temple in Amritsar but missed.
Source:
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