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5 arrested as blasts rattle India’s Golden Temple

TBP Online
11 May 2023 16:54:31 | Update: 11 May 2023 21:01:58
5 arrested as blasts rattle India’s Golden Temple
Devotees visit the illuminated Golden Temple on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Sikh guru Amardas, in Amritsar on May 4, 2023 — AFP Photo

Five people have been arrested by the Punjab police following an explosion near the Golden Temple in Amritsar late last night.

A low-intensity explosion occurred around 1am on Thursday near Heritage Street in Amritsar. It is the third explosion that has happened in five days, reports NDTV.

"Amritsar low-intensity explosion cases solved," the Director General of Punjab Police said.

"We will investigate the entire deep-rooted conspiracy behind this. We will examine all the associates of the arrested people, in India and abroad, and get to the bottom of it," Director-General of Police, Gaurav Yadav.

The explosive was assembled in the washroom of Guru Ramdas Sarai, an accommodation in Amritsar near the Golden Temple. The material to make the explosive is generally used in firecrackers, the senior cop said.

The accused were tracked down with the help of surveillance footage and have been identified as; Azadvir Singh, Amrik Singh, Sahib Singh, Harjit Singh and Dharminder Singh. Azadvir and Amrik were the main perpetrators while Sahib, Harjit and Dharminder sourced and supplied the explosives, he said.

Amrik's wife is also being questioned and her role examined, the senior cop added.

The police said they would probe whether the explosions were carried out by a self-radicalized module or were they acting on the behest of someone else.

The first explosion occurred on May 6, and the second on Monday. The site of the low-intensity blast that took place today, is nearly two kilometres from Heritage Street near the Golden Temple, a popular tourist spot in the city.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Punjab Police collected forensic samples from the site of the blast. Preliminary reports suggest that no triggering mechanism was used in the explosion, sources said.

The explosive used in the two blasts on Heritage Street in Amritsar were packed with two health drink cans.

One person was injured in the explosion that took place on Monday. No detonator was found, and the police said it appeared that the explosive used in the blast was kept in a container.

The police said the explosive was crudely made, and no shrapnel was used. One person was injured, and the glass facades of some buildings were damaged in the blast on May 6.

 

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