A suspect in the bombing of the Thakur Dwara temple complex in Amritsar on Saturday was shot dead in a confrontation with Punjab police, as officers persist in their attempts to capture the second suspect who allegedly escaped the location.
According to officials, two men were spotted arriving at the temple on a motorcycle during the early hours of Saturday (March 15) and throwing an explosive at the structure, resulting in a massive explosion that damaged its wall and shattered windows.
Gaurav Yadav, DGP Punjab Police, stated that the Amritsar Commisserate Police located the suspects in Rajasansi, at which point one suspect fired at the police, wounding a head constable and hitting another officer’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 on X.
A new case is being submitted in relation to the encounter. Following the explosion on Saturday, an FIR was filed under the Explosive Substances Act against the two suspects, after which intelligence-driven actions resulted in their identification.
How the explosion occurred?
A deafening blast rocked Amritsar on Saturday, with viral CCTV footage capturing the two assailants throwing an explosive at the temple and escaping the location. The event occurred at 12:35 am, and there were no reported injuries.
“Approximately at midnight, two individuals arrived on a motorcycle, halted outside the Thakur Dwara Mandir, surveyed the area, and launched a grenade at the temple. The explosion was so intense that it also impacted the surrounding structures, shattering their windows and everything. The police arrived at the location afterwards. According to the evidence, this was an attack using a grenade,” stated advocate Kiranpreet Singh.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar stated that the temple priest notified the police about the incident at approximately 2 am. He asserted that the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was implicated in the attacks in Amritsar and was continuously inciting the youth from impoverished backgrounds to commit such deeds.
