Amritsar (Punjab) [India] March 15 : A blast occurred at Thakurdwara Temple in Khandwala, Amritsar, late last night after two bike-borne men lobbed an object, suspected to be an explosive, at the temple.
According to eyewitnesses two young men riding a motorcycle were seen lobbing a suspicious object towards the temple. CCTV footage has captured the incident.
No injuries were reported, and police personnel were immediately present at the scene to investigate the incident.
Amritsar Commissioner GPS Bhullar has suggested the hand of Pakistan Intel agency ISI in the blast.
"We got information at 2 a.m. We reached the spot right away. The forensic team was called... We checked the CCTV and spoke to the nearby people. The thing is that Pakistan's ISI lures our youth into creating disturbances in Punjab," he said.
Bhullar expressed confidence in solving the case swiftly, saying, "We will trace this case within days and take appropriate action." He also issued a stern warning to the youth, urging them not to ruin their lives. "I warn the youth not to ruin their lives... We will catch the culprits soon," he added.
Police teams have seized the CCTV footage and according to preliminary investigation the youth on a motorcycle had a flag in his hands and the two of them were standing around the temple for some time before lobbing the grenade.
Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the Police has taken control of the situation.
"There were some miscreants who hurled a grenade at a temple after 12 am. There are no injuries or casualties... The situation is under control...Two people have been identified... The police is in action; they will be caught within a day," the Minister said.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that certain elements were always trying to disturb the peace in the state.
"There are always many attempts to disturb the peace in Punjab. Drugs, gangsters, extortion are part of it and there are attempts to show that Punjab has become a disturbed state...During the festival of Holi in other states the police had to use lathi-charge during processions. But such things do not happen in Punjab... The law and order situation in Punjab is good," he said.
The incident of the blast at Thakurdwara Temple comes after at least five people were injured after an assailant attacked people with an iron rod in the Golden Temple premises on Friday. The attack took place at Shri Guru Ramdas Sarai which is a lodging facility for pilgrims.