Grenade blast in Amritsar: One suspect killed in police encounter

Chandigarh, March 17 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Two days after the grenade blast at a temple in Amritsar, one suspect was shot dead in an encounter with the police, while the other managed to escape on Monday, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said.

Acting on specific intelligence, the Commissionerate Police Amritsar decisively tracked down those responsible for the attack on Thakur Dwara Mandiron on March 15, he said.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Chheharta police station under the Explosive Substances Act, and intelligence-based efforts led to the identification of the accused.

Police teams tracked the suspects in Rajasansi, on the outskirts of Amritsar. The accused opened fire, injuring Head Constable Gurpreet Singh and striking Inspector Amolak Singh’s turban.

Acting in self-defence, the police party fired back, injuring the accused. He was taken to Civil Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The other accused fled, and efforts are on to arrest him, said the DGP.

In a “first attack” on a religious place in Punjab’s Amritsar city, close to the border with Pakistan, two assailants hurled an explosive at the Thakurdwara Temple complex, damaging its walls and shattering its window panes, on the night of March 14.

Police are tracking the suspects and claim Pakistan’s involvement behind the attack.

The CCTV footage showed the attackers arriving at the location on a bike. After waiting for a few seconds, one of them threw a grenade, and both fled the spot. Fortunately, a priest and his family, who were residing on the upper floor of the temple, were unharmed.

Lashing out at the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the Shiromani Akali Dal sought a judicial probe into the incident, while the BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh demanded a CBI investigation to expose the forces attempting to disturb law and order in Punjab.

Expressing serious concern over the repeated grenade attacks in the region, Chugh said the AAP government, led by CM Bhagwant Mann, has completely failed to control inimical elements in the state.

Akali Dal leader Daljit Cheema said the incident, which hurt the sentiments of the people, seemed to be part of a plan to disturb peace and communal harmony in Punjab. “This is the 13th such blast in the area and is proof of the complete collapse of law and order in the state,” he added.

“Both the Union and state governments should take moral responsibility for these incidents and should desist from interfering in the religious affairs of Sikhs and stop provoking forces who want to illegally take control of Sikh institutions. Such experiments have proved to be dangerous in the past and are again taking Punjab in the wrong direction. So both state and Union governments should learn from history,” Cheema said.

—