What could have been the motive behind Narain Singh Chaura firing at Sukhbir Singh Badal

The person who opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal at the entrance of the Golden Temple in Amritsar is a former Babbar Khalsa International terrorist.

He has been identified as Narain Singh Chaura. The incident occurred when Badal was serving as a guard at the Temple entrance as part of a religious punishment. Chaura was however overpowered and handed over to the police.

Who is Narain Singh Chaura

Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984. Since then he has been part of several operations that involved smuggling large consignment of arms and ammunition into Punjab in a bid to keep the Khalistan movement alive.

Chaura had already served a jail term in Punjab. While in Pakistan he had authored a book on guerrilla warfare. He was also involved ini publishing seditious literature.

Chaura was also an accused in the 2004 Burail jailbreak case in which four assassins of former Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh managed to escape. They managed to flee from jail after digging a 94-foot tunnel. During this operation, Chaura had helped the four by turning off the electricity while they were trying to escape. The four who escaped from jail were Jagtar Singh Hawara, Karamjeet Singh Bheora, Devi Singh and Jagtar Singh Tara.

Chaura has been booked in several cases in Amritsar, Ropar and Tarn Taran districts.Chaura hauls from the Dera Baba Nanak area.

Following a stint in Pakistan, he returned to Punjab in the 1990s and since then has been actively aiding terrorists with the aim of reviving the Khalistan movement. After being arrested in the jailbreak case he was released in the year 2022 on bail.

Chaura was active during the peak of the Khalistan movement in Punjab.. During this time various factions had emerged within the Sikh community which comprised both militant and political groups. Chaura went on to align himself with the militant wing and had opposed Punjab’s political establishment. He had in particular criticised the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is the dominant party in the region.

Chaura had also associated himself with the Dal Khalsa and has since associated himself with various acts of terror. Chaura was also linked to the killing of Beant Singh and was booked under the provisions of the Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

He was also booked in a number of cases that included smuggling during the 1984 riots.

What could have triggered the incident

Police sources tell Organiser that it would be too early to speculate. However we suspect that this could have arisen out of personal enmity or hatred. His hatred for the SAD was well known and he nurtured this anger for several years. The shooting could be linked to this.

The source however added his views about the SAD could be the main reason. However for now one could rule out the larger Khalistan angle behind this, the source further added.

Badal was fulfilling a tankhah’ (religious punishment) at the Golden Temple, mandated by the Akal Takht for alleged misconduct during his tenure from 2007 to 2017. ADCP Harpal Singh said that Chaura was seen conducting a reconnaissance at the Temple on Tuesday. He however managed to open fire despite proper security arrangements. However he failed to harm Badal, Singh also said.

He further added that security arrangements were in place. He tried to do some mischief but failed, the ADCP said.

The police have begun investigations and the incident had raised concerns about security in the politically volatile state of Punjab. The motivation behind the incident is being ascertained, the police said.

Coincidence?

The incident took place at a time when Khalistani elements are making a major push to revive the movement in Punjab. Their masters based out of Canada and Pakistan have been egging people in Punjab to join the movement and fight for a separate Khalistan nation.

This incident is in some way connected the ongoing problem due to the fact that Chaura is an active Khalistan terrorist with a proven criminal record. However the Central agencies who are closely monitoring the situation say that there is no cause for panic. Such incidents do cause tensions, but it will not lead to the revival of the dreaded movement. However the worry is that those elements who have raised the heat sitting in Canada will use this as a propaganda tool to further their agenda, an official in the Intelligence Bureau said.