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Narain Singh Chaura, who attempted to assassinate former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple, was a Khalistani terrorist and was "involved in" at least 21 cases, senior Punjab Police officer Arpit Shukla has said.
Speaking exclusively to News Agency on Wednesday, Mr Shukla, who is the Special Director General (Special DG) of Police, said Chaura was overpowered by police personnel in civil clothes at the temple and a tragedy was averted.
Chaura fired a shot in the direction of Mr Badal, 62 - who is also the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) - on Wednesday morning, when he was carrying out his penance at the entrance of the Golden Temple for "mistakes" committed during the party's rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. The bullet missed Mr Badal, and others near him, and got lodged in a wall.
"The police had some information about some rogue elements assembling near Golden Temple today and we had deployed heavy police force in the area. One Assistant Inspector General of Police, two Superintendents of Police (SPs) and two deputy SPs along with 175 police personnel, all in civil clothes, were deployed in and around the Golden Temple complex. It was because of their alertness and their sincere efforts that a mishap was averted," Mr Shukla said.
Chaura, who is believed to be associated with the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa, was arrested and a case has been registered against him.
"Chaura was a terrorist earlier and was involved in more than 21 cases, most of them from the 1980s and early 90s. He was acquitted in some of the cases while others are going on. He has a criminal background and we are trying to figure out whether he was a lone wolf or there is a bigger conspiracy behind all this," he said.
Responding to a question, Mr Shukla asserted that there was no lapse in Chaura getting so close to Mr Badal and pointed out that the Golden Temple sees thousands of people assembling every day. "It was because of the alertness of the forces that we could avert this incident," he said.
Answering questions about the law and order situation in the state, the police officer said the force is committed to ensuring security and peace not only in the Golden Temple area but in all of Punjab. "We will ensure that no such element rises and does such a thing in the future," he said.