Chandigarh (TIP)- Narain Singh Chaura, who attempted to assassinate former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal at the Golden Temple, acted alone and was “self-motivated,” preliminary police investigation revealed, even as Badal returned on Thursday to take up sewadar duty as part of his atonement. While investigators haven’t completely ruled out a larger conspiracy, initial probe suggests Chaura, an ex-militant with over 30 terror-related cases against him, planned the assassination only after Akal Takht pronounced its verdict on Badal regarding the Bargari sacrilege case.
“Because Chaura has remained a hardcore terrorist in the past, breaking him during interrogation isn’t easy. So far, he maintains he was self-motivated, claiming that Badal’s admission of ‘sins’ before Akal Takht was the trigger. He felt the sentence pronounced was too lenient,” said a senior police official familiar with the investigation, citing disclosures by Chaura.
To be sure, statements made during interrogation do not count as evidence unless a suspect repeats them when taking the stand during trial.
Fresh questions also arose on Thursday after Shiromani Akali Dal leaders released CCTV footage showing Chaura’s multiple interactions with superintendent of police (SP) Harpal Singh, who was supervising security arrangements outside the shrine, a day before the attack.
At a press conference, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia presented video evidence showing SP Singh, who shares Chaura’s home constituency of Dera Baba Nanak, being “on friendly terms” with the accused despite knowing his militant background.
“Even more suspicious is that SP Harpal was seen entering the Information Office at Sri Darbar Sahib exactly three minutes before the attack on Badal, despite being in a state of high alert,” Majithia said.
The 9mm pistol used in the assassination attempt bears no identifying marks, and investigators are trying to determine whether Chaura had been carrying it while inside the shrine or retrieved it from elsewhere just before the attack.
“Chaura has been involved in bringing arms and ammunition from across the border to be used in pro-Khalistan activities. Chaura was still in touch with sleeper cells of Khalistani activists,” said the official quoted in the first instance, asking not to be named.
Chaura’s social media activity had shown clear animosity toward SAD. In a Facebook post about a month ago, he wrote: “The Sikh community has politically rejected the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) due to its grave misdeeds, and now the party is using the Akal Takht Sahib as a means to revive its reputation. This party is an enemy of the Panth.”
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who is personally supervising the investigation, remained cautious about drawing conclusions. “We have taken him on three-day police remand and have involved all our state agencies in the probe. We are investigating the case from all angles to uncover the truth,” he said.
The cyber cell of Amritsar Police is analysing Chaura’s social media accounts, where he had previously justified violence against those accused in sacrilege cases, indicating a possible premeditation to the attack.
Chaura sent to 3-day police remand
A court in Amritsar on Thursday sent former Khalistani terrorist Narayan Singh Chaura, who opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal outside Golden Temple on Wednesday, to three-day police remand, officials said.
Chaura (68), whose bid on the Akali leader’s life was foiled by alert Punjab Police personnel present on the spot in plainclothes, was produced in the court amid tight security on Thursday.
The Punjab Police demanded seven-day remand for Chaura, but the court granted three days, a defence counsel told reporters in Amritsar.