In a worrisome development, a bomb blast took place in the Thakurdwara temple located in the Khandwala area of Amritsar on the night of Holi. Two bike-borne men were caught on CCTV hurling a bomb, allegedly a grenade, at the temple. As per reports, Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI is behind such attacks.
Addressing the media, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, "We received information late at night about an attack on a temple in the Khandwala area. The CCTV footage clearly shows two youths carrying out the attack. We reached the spot immediately and have started an investigation. The identity of the attackers will be established soon, and they will be arrested at the earliest.”
He further added that the incident appears to be a part of a larger conspiracy, alleging that “Pakistan’s ISI is behind this act. They are misleading innocent youths and using them for such nefarious activities.”
The police have taken the CCTV into their possession and started an investigation. Initial investigation has revealed that both youths had come on a motorcycle; they had a flag in their hands. They stood outside the temple for some time and then threw some objects towards the temple.
As soon as they ran away from there, there was a huge explosion in the temple. The incident happened at around 12:35 in the night. At that time, the priest of the temple, Murari Lal Sharma, was also sleeping inside, but luckily, he escaped. He reached the Cheharta police station at night and informed them about the incident.
The bomb was thrown on the first floor by the attackers. Due to this, the outer part of the first floor of the temple has been damaged. The police and the temple management have covered the damaged part with a green curtain. The police are investigating what kind of bomb-like object has been thrown.
This is the first case of targeting a religious place or temple amid the blasts taking place in Amritsar and the surrounding districts of Punjab since November last year. Earlier, most of the blasts that took place in Amritsar and other districts of Punjab were near the police stations and police posts of Punjab Police.