Amritsar, December : Punjab former Deputy Chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had a narrow escape when assailant fired gunshot at him from point blank range .  Luckily Sukhbir Badal escaped unharmed as the assailant was overpowered well in time.

The alert courageous task force member who was standing near the Sukhbir Badal keeping hawk eyes on each visiting devotee, grabbed and twisted the arm of the assailant the moment he took out the weapon from his waist belt.  Task force member immediately raised his hand and a bullet fired by the assailant hit the entrance pillar of the Golden Temple where Sukhbir Badal was performing the Sewa.

The assailant was nabbed on the spot by the task force member of the SGPC and was handed over to police which identified him as Naryan Singh Chaura resident of Dera Baba Nanak from Batala district of Punjab. Earlier he was arrested in numerous cases. He also remained a member of Babar Khalsa outfit in the past.

Police  ACP Harpal Singh talking to the media said that police can’t stop anyone from entering inside the Golden Temple especially as a visitor. He said that the assailant was here as a visitor. But here it would be difficult to say that his security was breached.  Now security of Sukhbir Singh Badal has been tightened as the assailant is in police custody and investigation was in progress.

After assassination attempt, Sukhbir Badal again returned to perform Sewa. His Member Parliament wife Harsimarat Kaur Badal also reached Golden Temple to meet his husband