NEW DELHI: Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has survived two attacks at Sikh religious sites in less than two years — first at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and now at Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji Mugat in Nanded — despite having high-level Z-plus security cover.Badal was attacked with a kirpan while visiting the gurdwara at Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded on Thursday. He suffered an injury to his hand, while police inspector Santosh Kendre, posted with the Special Protection Unit (SPU), Nanded police, was injured while intervening to protect him. Badal was taken to Yasho Sai Hospital in Nanded and is reported to be out of danger.The attacker was identified as 62-year-old Jaspal Singh, son of Teja Singh and a resident of Solapur Bazaar in Pune. Police said Singh had reportedly been residing at Mata Sahib Gurdwara for the past two years. Security personnel overpowered him before he could cause further harm. Police have launched an investigation into the motive and circumstances of the attack, while security was stepped up around the gurdwara.The incident has, however, brought renewed scrutiny on Badal’s security, particularly because it comes nearly two years after an assassination attempt at the Golden Temple.A gun at Golden Temple, a kirpan in NandedIn December 2024, Badal narrowly escaped an assassination attempt outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar while serving a religious punishment.Pro-Khalistan hardliner Narain Singh Chaura, who was later arrested, allegedly approached Badal and opened fire at him from close range. Badal was seated at the entrance of the Golden Temple in a blue sewadar uniform as part of the religious punishment imposed by the Akal Takht over alleged religious misconduct during his father Parkash Singh Badal’s tenure as Punjab chief minister from 2007 to 2017.A man standing next to Badal intervened and pushed Chaura’s gun hand upwards, causing the bullet to miss Badal. A sewadar also helped overpower the attacker. Badal escaped unharmed.The video of the 2024 incident showed Chaura approaching Badal, who had his leg in a cast and was seated in a wheelchair at the Golden Temple entrance with a spear in one hand. The gun went off but the bullet missed Badal and others nearby before hitting the wall.In Nanded, the nature of the attack was different but the proximity of the attacker is again likely to come under scrutiny. Badal was visiting the gurdwara with his wife and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, accompanied by security personnel from Punjab as well as Maharashtra Police.What does Z+ security mean?The repeated incidents also raise questions about how security is implemented around Badal, rather than simply the category of protection assigned to him.There are six categories of central security cover — X, Y, Y+, Z and Z+, apart from the Special Protection Group (SPG), which protects the Prime Minister.According to the security framework outlined by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Z+ is the highest category available to protectees other than those covered by SPG.X-category security generally involves two personal security officers round the clock. Y-category cover provides two PSOs, an armed guard at the residence round the clock and additional night security.Z-category protection involves about 22 personnel, including armed guards at the residence, round-the-clock PSOs and an armed escort for road journeys.Z+ security builds on the Z-category arrangement and includes a bulletproof vehicle, an escort operating in three shifts and additional security when required.The fact that Badal was able to be approached by attackers at two separate religious sites therefore raises a more specific security question: how effectively can a high-level protection system prevent an attacker from getting within striking distance in an open religious setting?Religious visits present a different security challengeBoth incidents occurred at religious sites where Badal was participating in religious activities and where security personnel have to operate around devotees, sewadars and other visitors.The 2024 attack involved a firearm and posed a potentially lethal threat.The Nanded incident involved a kirpan and again required security personnel to physically intervene. Police inspector Santosh Kendre was injured while protecting Badal.The Maharashtra Police’s Special Protection Unit (SPU) is deployed in districts for the security and protection of VVIPs during their movement.The circumstances of the two incidents are different, but the common thread is that both attackers managed to get close enough to Badal to launch an attack.What investigators will now examine
- The immediate questions are not only about the attacker’s motive but also about the security chain around Badal:
- How did Singh get close enough to attack Badal with a kirpan?
- Was he already within the gurdwara premises when Badal arrived?
- Was Badal’s visit known to him in advance?
- Did security personnel have any prior information about Singh?
- Were the security arrangements different because Badal was undertaking a religious visit?
- Was there any change in Badal’s threat assessment after the 2024 Golden Temple attack?
Investigators are also likely to examine Singh’s background, his stay at the gurdwara and whether there was any prior indication of hostility towards Badal.The answers could determine whether Thursday’s attack was an isolated breach or whether there are recurring vulnerabilities in protecting Badal during public and religious engagements.
