The cop who foiled assassination bid on Sukhbir Badal

It was the presence of mind and swift action by Amritsar Police ASI Jasbir Singh that averted the assassination bid on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal who was performing the duty of 'sewadar' at the entrance of the Golden Temple here on Wednesday.

A Khalistani militant, identified as Narain Singh Chaura, opened fire at Sukhbir but missed the target as he was overpowered by ASI Jasbir Singh and two other cops.

Chaura was just a few meters away from Sukhbir when he took out a pistol and pointed it towards the SAD chief but before he could press the trigger, ASI Jasbir caught hold of him and the bullet was fired in the air. Meanwhile, two other ASIs—Rashpal Singh and Parminder Singh—joined Jasbir in overpowering Chaura.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the accused was facing various cases under arms and explosives Act. “It was the presence of mind of the three cops who thwarted the nefarious design of Chaura who is being interrogated by the police,” he said.

ASI Jasbir Singh said that senior police officials had already briefed them about any possible mishappening. “As per the alert, I immediately sensed the trouble as suspect took out pistol from his clothes. Before he could trigger the pistol, I caught hold of his hand and prevented the bullet to hit the target,” he said.

Meanwhile, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh strongly condemned the incident. He demanded a thorough probe into the matter to expose the culprits and their motive behind it. He said it was an attack on a person who was performing ‘sewa’ in the Golden Temple complex, awarded by the Akal Takht.