The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday strongly condemned the incident of a blast near the Thakur Dwara Mandir in Amritsar and demanded a judicial probe to identify the perpetrators. In a statement here, Akali Dal leader Daljit Cheema said the incident, which hurt the sentiments of the people, seemed to be part of a plan to disturb peace and communal harmony in Punjab. "This is the 13th such blast in the area and is proof of the complete collapse of law and order in the state," he said.
"Both the Union and state governments should take moral responsibility for these incidents and should desist from interfering in the religious affairs of Sikhs and stop provoking forces who want to illegally take control of Sikh institutions. Such experiments have proved to be dangerous in the past and are again taking Punjab in the wrong direction. So both state and Union governments should learn from history," Cheema added.
In a daring incident, two bike-borne assailants hurled a hand grenade at a temple, triggering a powerful blast. However, no one was injured in the explosion. The CCTV footage showed the attackers arriving at the location on a bike with a flag mounted on it. After waiting for a few seconds, one of them threw a grenade, and both fled the spot. Police believe the attack was carried out as part of a planned strategy to trigger fear amid the Holi festivities. The temple’s wall was damaged in the explosion.
Fortunately, a priest and his family, who were residing on the upper floor of the temple, were unharmed. Area resident Kiranpreet Singh, who is an advocate by profession, said: "At around 12 a.m., two people came on a bike, stopped outside the Thakur Dwara Mandir, conducted a recce and threw a grenade at the temple. The blast was so powerful that it also affected the nearby buildings, breaking windowpanes. The police later reached the spot. As per the evidence, this was a grenade attack." Amritsar Police Commissioner, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, told the media that efforts "are being made by Pakistan to disturb the atmosphere here, and some local youths are involved in this. I urge our youths not to get involved in such activities".
State minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said some miscreants hurled a grenade at a temple after midnight. "The situation is under control. Two people have been identified. They will be caught within a day," he added.
