Sukhbir attacker Chaura sent to 14-day judicial custody

Pro-Khalistan activist Narain Singh Chaura, accused of an assassination bid on former Deputy CM and SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal undergoing ‘tankhah’ at the Golden Temple on December 4, has been sent to judicial custody till December 30.

Meanwhile, the police questioned Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) deputy director (schools) Satwant Kaur at the Galliara police chowki today.

A senior police officer on anonymity said Chaura, along with another person, believed to be Dharam Singh, met her at her office located in the Golden Temple complex at 10.37 pm on December 3.

The CCTV footage of this meeting has been procured by the police in which the attire and turbans of both Chaura and Dharam Singh matched with the footage of both of them walking down the parikrama of the Golden Temple.

Satwant Kaur admitted that Chaura with another person had come to her office and that she was questioned by the police about the meeting with Chaura. “The police, during the course of its investigation of CCTV footage, had called me up. It was an informal meeting. They just entered my office and congratulated me as I was nominated as one of the seven members of a committee constituted by the Akal Takht with a view to resurrecting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and that was the only conversation we had”, she said.

Earlier, reports also surfaced that Chaura met SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami on the premises of the Golden Temple, a few hours prior to attacking Sukhbir. This was claimed by Chaura’s lawyer JS Randhawa while accusing the SGPC of withholding the crucial CCTV footage related to it.

Dhami later clarified that being the SGPC president, many people meet, and among them could be Chaura too. He said he had never met him personally before.

Dharam Singh, a resident of Ekalgadda Khurd village in Tarn Taran district is said to be a close associate of Chaura. He remained in jails in Jodhpur, Amritsar and Nabha during the militancy period. He is still out of reach, whereas another suspect, Jasbir Jassa, a native of Mandiala village in Taran Taran district was rounded up for questioning by the police. However, there wasn't any breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Randhawa said the police had sought remand for three more days on the ground that a person by the name of Dharam Singh was still wanted, as they both conspired to attack Sukhbir.

“The police gave reference to CCTV footage claiming a person to be Dharam Singh accompanying Chaura in the Golden Temple parikrama. The court was not convinced as it was argued that in the CCTV footage the names of many others, including one SP of the Punjab police and the SGPC president, too had surfaced earlier. Consequently, denying further remand to the police, Chaura was sent to judicial custody for next 14 days," he said.