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Army experts begin sanitising Bathinda twin blast site
Material evidence and preliminary questioning of the radicalised accused revealed that he was planning a fidayeen attack: Cops
A team of ballistic and forensic experts from the Indian Army, on Friday, started the operation to sanitise the blast site at a house in Jeeda village near Bathinda, where a radicalised college student was allegedly preparing a human bomb.
Official sources said the army officials from New Delhi reached Bathinda on Thursday and inspected the house last evening, where the accused, Gurpreet Singh, was assembling a bomb using several chemicals.
Two high-intensity explosions took place inside the house on September 10, leaving accused Gurpreet Singh (19) and his father Jagtar Singh injured. The police learnt about it a day after a private hospital alerted the police about the nature of the injuries. While Gurpreet’s right hand had to be amputated due to the explosion, his father, a farmer, suffered severe injuries in the second blast.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal said that military experts were called in to clear the residue and provide a second opinion before the house is declared sanitised.
“We will lift the cordon around the house only after the army experts confirm that the entire explosive residue has been cleared and it is safe to open the premises. Bomb disposal teams of the Punjab Police played a crucial role in clearing the blast site of the explosive materials,” she added.
Bomb disposal teams of the army put the residues of various explosives from the house and disposed of them safely near the house.
Influenced by Islamic radicalism, Gurpreet was inclined toward a fidayeen attack on an unspecified target, but his attempt to assemble a bomb by watching online videos was foiled last week, said the district police officials.
Investigators said that during the process of assembling a bomb, Gurpreet mishandled the high-intensity explosives, and a blast took place on September 10, in which he faced serious injuries that led to the amputation of his right hand.
The accused had sourced various explosives and other materials online to assemble a bomb for an alleged suicide attack.
Gurpreet is in the police custody till September 25.
The house was sealed since September 11, and the army operation was underway till the time of filing the report.
A case was registered against Gurpreet at Nehianwala under various sections of the Explosives Act, section 287 (negligent conduct with respect to combustible matter), and 326 (f) (causing damage to property by explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
SSP stated that no other person has been nominated, as there is currently no evidence that Gurpreet was working with or under the direction of any individual or organisation. She said a detailed report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) about the chemicals used by Gurpreet and his mobile phones is still awaited.
