Amritsar: Bullets were fired this morning at the Golden Temple premises in Punjab’s Amritsar where Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, are offering ‘seva’ under the religious punishments pronounced for them by Sri Akal Takht Sahib.

Police arrested the man who allegedly was attempting to shoot SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal. The shooter has been identified Narain Singh Chaura, allegedly a former militant, who faces many cases and has remained underground.

Chaura belongs to Dera Baba Nanak area. Chaura, who crossed over to Pakistan in 1984, was involved in weapon smuggling and wrote a book on guerrilla warfare and “seditious” literature. He is also accused in notorious 2004 Burail jailbreak, where four inmates, including the assassins of former Punjab CM Beant Singh, escaped via a 94-foot tunnel. Chaura has been implicated in numerous cases across Punjab and has served time for various offenses.

 The incident comes just a day after Badal began his guard duty at the Golden Temple, a punishment ordered by the Akal Takht for mistakes during the SAD-led government (2007-2017), which included incidents of sacrilege and the Kotkapura Police firing.

Alongside Badal, other Akali Dal leaders were assigned similar penances, with former Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa standing guard, and other leaders tasked with cleaning toilets and serving in the community kitchen.