Two persons arrested for brutal sword attack on Punjab Shiv Sena leader Sandeep Thapar | News from India

NEW DELHI: In a joint operation on Friday, police from Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib arrested two suspects and a third is still at large. The accused, disguised as Nihang Sikhs, brutally attacked Shiv Sena leader and Sandeep Thapar, a descendant of freedom fighter and martyr Sukhdev. Thapar is currently in critical condition.

According to police, Sandeep Thapar, 58, was mercilessly attacked after he attended a ceremony of the Samvedna Trust near the Civil Hospital. Thapar had attended a function to mark the fourth death anniversary of the trust’s founder and president Ravinder Arora.

The Samvedna Trust is known for its free ambulance and hearse services.

Video footage of the incident that surfaced on social media shows the attackers, disguised as Nihangs, approaching Thapar while he was riding a scooter with his security guard sitting pillion. While Thapar was talking to them with folded hands, one of the attackers suddenly attacked him with a sword. Another attacker appeared to push Thapar’s security guard away.

After Thapar fell, a third attacker also began to strike him with a sword. The attackers then fled on Thapar’s scooter. Nihangs, a Sikh warrior sect, are typically seen wearing blue robes and carrying traditional weapons.

Thapar, who sustained head injuries, was immediately admitted to the Civil Hospital and then shifted to a private hospital where his condition is said to be serious.

The BJP condemned the attack and demanded the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.