An attempt on the life of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was made by an elderly man at the entrance of the Golden Temple on Wednesday morning. An unidentified man opened fire at Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal while he was serving as a ‘sewadar’ at the temple entrance. Badal escaped unhurt in the incident.

The man was overpowered by people present at the scene. News agency PTI has shared a shocking video of the incident. The video of the incident shows the bullet hitting the wall of the sacred temple.

It has been reported that the individual who allegedly opened fire at SAD leader has been taken into police custody. 

the shooter has been identified as ex-terrorist and Khalistani militant Narain Chaura.

Badal sat by the gate of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, holding a spear and wearing a plaque around his neck, as part of the religious penance prescribed for him by Sri Akal Takht Sahib on December 2.

Today marked the second day of his penance.

The Akal Takht imposed these punishments, citing the “mistakes” made by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government in Punjab during their tenure from 2007 to 2017.

SAD responds

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema reacted strongly to the incident, calling the attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal a major conspiracy aimed at destabilising Punjab.

“A man, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was serving as a ‘sewadar’ at the temple entrance, was shot at. I thank God for saving his life,” Cheema said. “I want to ask Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann what he has done to ensure the state’s safety.”

In a tragic incident, 7 people died after a boulder from the hills fell on a residence in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu following heavy rainfall.

The large rock reportedly fell onto the residence of a man identified as Rajkumar, located on 11th Street in VOC Nagar, Tiruvannamalai, around 4 pm on December 1 after heavy rains in the region.

The deceased have been identified as Rajkumar, his wife Meena (27), his son Gowtham (8), daughter Viniya (5), Ramya (7), Vinodhini (16), and Maha (7).

According to officials, the bodies of five have been recovered, while a search operation is underway to recover the other 2.

Meanwhile, experts from Madras IIT have arrived at the site of the landslide in Tiruvannamalai where 7 people died when a huge rock fell on their house, following continuous rainfall because of Cyclone Fengal.

Narasimha Rao, Retired IIT Madras Professor, Geotechnical division of the Civil Engineering Department who arrived to check up on the site of the mishap said, “We will tell the government how far this damage is going to occur. The cracks here are due to sliding. At the same time, I am worried about the huge rocks. If there is loose soil underneath, it can be dangerous.”

Dr S Mohan, Retired IIT Madras Professor, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division also spoke to news agency and said, “We will analyse and tell. We are not able to tell very clearly. We will prepare a report and at that time we will inform you. The government has asked us to come and analyse and give the report.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin spoke about the incident and shared details, “In Tiruvannamalai on December 1 around 4 pm due to heavy rainfall a big rock from hills fell on the residence of a man identified as Rajkumar at VOC Nagar, 11th Street. His residence was battered and buried in rock and soil. 7 people have died under debris. NDRF and Commandos were on a rescue mission. Fire and rescue efforts were done. We expected 7 to be rescued alive, but on December 2 evening around 6.30 pm, we started recovering bodies.” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced a relief of rupees 5 lakh to the bereaved families.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin took stock of the situation on December 2 night and assured all the required assistance.

Locals in the area mourned the loss of lives in the incident.

Unnamalai, a resident from the area recalled the day of the mishap and said, “I was sick so was sleeping at home. Suddenly around 4 pm on December 1, muddy water entered our home and we all heard a massive sound.” “Next thing I was being pulled out by others from my house to rescue me. 7 people however lost their lives. This is painful. We are here for more than 60 years. We are paying EB, Property tax and everything. Where will we go? Our home and things have been completely damaged.”

A 26-year-old probationary IPS officer in Karnataka died in a road accident when he was heading to report for work in Hassan on Sunday.

Harsh Bardhan, a native of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, was with the Karnataka cadre of the Indian Police Service (IPS), sources said.

According to a police officer, Bardhan was at the Karnataka Police Academy in Mysuru for training. On Sunday, he left to report for duty in Hassan City in a police jeep along with a driver provided by the department.

The vehicle’s tyre reportedly burst on the way, causing the driver to lose control.

Passersby shifted the two to a hospital but Harsh Bardhan did not respond to the treatment and succumbed, the police said. The driver has sustained minor injuries.

The son of a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Madhya Pradesh, Bardhan was a civil engineering graduate. According to a police officer, he had completed a four-week course in Mysuru and was about to take up practical training in Hassan for the next six months.