Narain Singh Chaura: Suspect in Sukhbir Badal Attack Attempt at Golden Temple

Narain Singh Chaura, an alleged associate of the banned pro-Khalistan group Babbar Khalsa, was caught on Wednesday morning trying to fire on former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, at the gate of Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The incident occurred around 9 A.M. while Sukhbir Singh Badal, confined to a wheelchair, was performing a religious penance assigned by the Akal Takht in connection with a sacrilege case.

As he was doing 'sewa' by the entrance of the shrine, Chaura allegedly tried to attack him but was soon overpowered by people around. Fortunately, Sukhbir Singh Badal is safe.

There appeared a video recording of the incident which depicts how Chaura slowly approaches the gate and, then taking a gun from his pocket, starts showing it with his shaky hand. A man near Sukhbir Singh Badal quickly noticed him and reached Chaura and held his hand to stop him from firing at the leader.

Narain Singh Chaura, 68, hails from Chaura village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district and was born on April 4, 1956, to Chanam Singh and Gurnam Kaur.

He is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2004 Burail jailbreak. The daring escape involved digging a 104-foot tunnel that allowed four inmates to flee, including Babbar Khalsa leader Jagtar Singh Hawara and two of the assassins of late Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

According to police, Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984 and was instrumental in smuggling weapons and explosives into Punjab during the initial phase of militancy. He was allegedly associated with the Khalistan Liberation Force and the Akal Federation.

While in Pakistan, he allegedly authored a book on guerrilla warfare and other "seditious" literature.

He had been previously arrested in 2013 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Ropar districts, and Chaura was released on bail in 2018.