Sukhbir Badal completes 10-day penance amid tight security
Sukhbir, who is currently wheelchair-bound due to a foot fracture, arrived at the gurdwara, surrounded by security personnel, and performed ‘sewa’ dressed in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform at the entrance of the shrine.
Amid heavy security cover, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal completed his 10-day religious punishment on Thursday, performing ‘sewa’ for the second consecutive day at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Muktsar town.
The Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, had pronounced the punishment for Sukhbir and other SAD leaders for the mistakes committed during the Akali regime in the state from 2007 to 2017.
Sukhbir, who is currently wheelchair-bound due to a foot fracture, arrived at the gurdwara, surrounded by security personnel, and performed ‘sewa’ dressed in a blue ‘sewadar’ uniform at the entrance of the shrine.
On the second day of his penance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sukhbir had a narrow escape as a former militant opened fire at him from close range but missed the target after being overpowered by cops in plain clothes. Despite that, Sukhbir continued his penance and performed ‘sewa’ for the next eight days at four historic gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo.
Several Akali leaders, including SAD’s acting president Balwinder Singh Bhunder and former ministers Daljit Singh Cheema, Sucha Singh Langah, Heera Singh Gabria, and Gulzar Singh Ranike, also performed ‘sewa’ of cleaning utensils at the gurdwara.
Sukhbir is scheduled to perform ‘ardas’ (Sikh prayer) at the Akal Takht Sahib on Friday morning to mark the completion of his penance.
