The accused involved in carrying out three explosions near Golden Temple between May 6 and 11, had links with their foreign-based masters and received funding from different channels for terror activities, reads the FIR registered against the accused by Amritsar City Police.
According to the FIR, the accused procured explosive material by getting instructions from their masters who are based in India and abroad, with an intent to hurt unity, integrity, security, communal harmony and assets. “They also got money from different channels,” the FIR reads.
Officials privy to the matter said that arrested accused in the blasts case were radicalised with the help of social media posts of pro-Khalistani leaders. The role of some pro-Khalistani organisations has also emerged in the case and the probe into it is still on.
Police are also ascertaining whether the blasts had any link with the killing of Paramjit Singh Panjwar, a designated Pro-Khalistan terrorist, who was killed in Lahore last week.
“We are probing the case from all angles. A detailed probe will reveal the truth that why did the attackers chose the area around Golden Temple for the blasts,” said a senior official involved in the probe.
Officials privy to the matter said one of the prime accused, Amrik Singh, was also in contact with a pro-Khalistani leader of Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}Officials privy to the matter said one of the prime accused, Amrik Singh, was also in contact with a pro-Khalistani leader of Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}“It seems to be a pure case of terror aimed at achieving something directed by some foreign handlers. As the probe is underway it will be very tough to ascertain on any specific point,” a senior official involved in the probe said.
On Thursday, a letter citing reasons behind the blasts was also recovered by intelligence sleuths from the blast sites, in which it was said the main reason behind the blasts was to highlight the arrest of radical preacher Amritpal Singh.
On Friday, Amritsar police also launched a massive search operation at Heritage Street and the area around the Golden Temple. However, nothing suspicious was found.
A senior police official, who wished not to be identified, said, “We will also question the accused who were involved in the Tarn Taran’s Pandoori Golda blast, to ascertain the suspected foreign links of the arrested five accused. The explosive used in the Pandoori Gola blast was also procured from the Angarh area.”
Two persons had died while another one was injured in the Pandoori Gola village blast, which had occurred when the deceased and the injured persons were trying to retrieve the explosive from an abandoned plot in September 2019.
The accused in the recent Amritsar explosions case are Azad Bir Singh (36) of Wadala Kalan village in Baba Bakala, Amrik Singh of Gurdaspur, Saheb Singh of Gate Hakima Angarh, Dharminder and Harjeet, both resident of 88 feet road in Amritsar.
The police teams also recovered 1.1-kg mixture of chlorates and bromides (material used to make crackers) and mobile phones from their possession.
According to the FIR number 49/2023 dated May 11, 2023 has been registered under Section 9B of the Explosive Act, Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, Sections 13, 16, 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Police Station E-Division, Amritsar City.
Content of the FIR was disclosed by the police in daily crime diary on Friday, as per which Azad Bir who is already booked for hurting religious sentiments in Chheharta Police station, and his aides indulge in anti-national and anti-social activities.