Gunman acted alone, wanted to kill Badal for his 'sins': Cops

Narain Singh Chaura, who attempted to assassinate former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal at the Golden Temple, acted alone and was "self-motivated", preliminary police investigation revealed, even as Badal returned on Thursday to take up sewadar duty as part of his atonement.

- Ravinder Vasudeva

While investigators haven't completely ruled out a larger conspiracy, initial probe suggests Chaura, an ex-militant with over 30 terror-related cases against him, planned the assassination only after Akal Takht pronounced its verdict on Badal regarding the Bargari sacrilege case.

"Because Chaura has remained a hardcore terrorist in the past, breaking him during interrogation isn't easy. So far, he maintains he was self-motivated, claiming that Badal's admission of 'sins' before Akal Takht was the trigger. He felt the sentence pronounced was too lenient," said a senior police official familiar with the investigation, citing disclosures by Chaura.

To be sure, statements made during interrogation do not count as evidence unless a suspect repeats them when taking the stand during trial.

Questions arose on Thursday after Shiromani Akali Dal leaders released CCTV footage showing Chaura's multiple interactions with superintendent of police (SP) Harpal Singh, who was supervising security arrangements outside the shrine, a day before the attack.