The legacy that haunts Sukhbir Badal: Sacrilege, Dera row, and Panthic anger

Badal was attacked shortly after he prayed at the Sikh shrine of Gurdwara Mata Saheb on August 13. (File photo) 5 min readLudhianaAug 14, 2026 05:31 AM IST First published on: Aug 13, 2026 at 06:50 PM IST The attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Gurdwara Mata Saheb in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Thursday has once again brought into focus the troubled relationship between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and sections of the Panthic camp. The attack comes against the backdrop of a much deeper political and Panthic contest over the SAD’s legacy, leadership, and future. This is the second attack on Badal in the last two years. In December 2024, days after the Akal Takht declared him “tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct)” — and directed him and other former Akali ministers to perform religious punishment for “mistakes” during the SAD-BJP government’s 2007-17 tenure — Badal performed sewa (volunteer work) at the Golden Temple, when he was shot at. Badal escaped unharmed after a security officer intervened and the shooter was overpowered. The shooter, however, was out on bail in four months.