Sukhbir Badal performs 'sewa' at Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Punjab

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday performed the duty of 'sewadar' outside Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Punjab's Rupnagar district amid tight security.

The wheelchair-bound SAD leader later listened to 'kirtan' and also washed dishes in the community kitchen.

The former deputy chief minister, a Z+ protectee, arrived at the Anandpur Sahib shrine surrounded by security personnel. Dressed in blue 'sewadar' uniform, Badal sat at the entrance of the gurdwara with a spear in one hand for an hour from 9 am.

Badal (62) is undergoing a religious punishment pronounced by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of Sikhs, for ''mistakes'' made by the SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

Besides the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Akal Takht has asked Badal to perform the service of 'sewadar' at the Takht Kesgarh Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib, and Darbar Sahib in Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib for two days each.

On the second day of his penance at the Golden Temple on Wednesday, Badal had a narrow escape as former Khalistani terrorist Narain Singh Chaura fired at him from a close range but missed the target as he was overpowered by policemen in plain clothes and later arrested.

Police had made elaborate security arrangements for Badal's visit to the Takht Kesgarh Sahib, where the SAD leader reached in the morning.