Shiv Sena Leader Attacked in Ludhiana

A week after his security cover was reduced, on 5 Jul Shiv Sena Panjab leader Sandeep Thapar, alias Gora, was brutally attacked by men in Nihang (traditional Sikh warrior) attire. The attack on the 58-year-old leader was while he was riding his scooter on the busy road outside the Ludhiana Civil Hospital. The CCTV footage of the incident shows the accused confronting Thapar. Thapar is seen begging for mercy with folded hands. One of the attackers started hitting him repeatedly on the head with the sword. Thapar fell on the road when another Nihang continued attacking him. Thapar’s lone gunman looked on and later took him to the hospital. In the past, Thapar has mocked Sikhs, including during floods in 2023 and celebrated the destruction of Akal Takht during ‘Operation Blue Star.’ Recently he had abused Hindus too over BJP losing elections in Ayodhya. Sumit Arora, the youth wing president of the Shiv Sena Panjab (SS-P), said Thapar had been provided with three gunmen but the police withdrew his security cover a week ago. Rajiv Tandon, the chairman of SS-P, said that the police and the govt. were not serious about the security of leaders of Hindu organizations. The attackers have been arrested. They are Sarabjit Singh Saba and Harjot Singh, alias Jota, from Ludhiana, and Tehal Singh Ladi from Amritsar. They were living at Nihang Sikhs Chhawani (Cantonment) in Shiv Shakti colony, Ludhiana. The attack is condemnable and law must take its course. However, the law must also seriously consider hate speech as violence too (SDW Vol 2 Issue 10, Story 5).