Amritsar (TIP)- The Punjab Police on Thursday, May 11, said they have solved the cases of low-intensity explosions in Amritsar with the arrest of five people hours after another blast near a community kitchen of the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine. In a tweet, Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav said a press conference will be held in Amritsar in this regard. He added the Punjab Police are committed to maintaining peace and harmony in Punjab as per chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s directions.
May 11’s blast was the third such explosion in five days. The scene of the third blast is around 1.5 km from the earlier two explosions.
Police commissioner Naunihal Singh rushed to the spot for an investigation and to seal the scene as the third explosive went off.
The Punjab Police earlier claimed to have tightened the security around the Golden Temple as they held flag marches with the support of paramilitary forces. Singh said they detained suspects and were questioning them. “The investigation is on and the media will be briefed later.”
The first two blasts rocked the busy Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple. The first blast took place around 11:30pm on Saturday while the second blast on Monday morning.
Yadav earlier said that the terror angle cannot be ruled out.
Harjinder Singh Dhami, the head of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) that manages Sikh places of worship, said the security personnel of the gurdwara caught three suspects, including a couple who were staying in Guru Ramdas Serai (inn), based on CCTV footage. He added the three were responsible for the fresh explosion. “The three were handed over to the police later.”
People aware of the matter said the couple from Gurdaspur was staying in the inn of the Golden Temple from where they allegedly threw a bomb on Thursday. Police said they have recovered some handwritten pages from the possession of the accused.
Dhami accused the government of negligence in handling the matter and taking it lightly. “…had the government taken the previous two explosions seriously, the third explosion would not have taken place.”
He said a scanner will be installed for the devotees entering the Golden Temple and appealed to devotees to carry only necessary things while visiting the shrine.
Dhami appreciated SGPC employees for catching the suspects with the help of technology within hours of the third blast. He asked pilgrims to visit the shrine without fear as the situation is entirely peaceful.