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Five arrested after third low-intensity blast near Golden Temple in week
Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav says the accused had carried out the three blasts with the material used in making firecrackers; the motive is being investigated
Hours after the third blast near Golden Temple in Amritsar around midnight, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested five members of a module and recovered 1.1kg of explosives and radical literature.
The accused are Azad Veer Singh, 36, of Wadala Kala village in Baba Bakala sub division, Saheb Singh of Gate Hakima area, Dharminder Singh and Harjit Singh, both residents of 88-Feet Road area in Amritsar, and Amrik Singh, 26, of Gurdaspur.
Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav told reporters in Amritsar that the accused had carried out the blasts with the material used in making firecrackers. He said investigation is on to ascertain if they were self-radicalised or working at the behest of someone.
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They were identified and traced through CCTV footage with the help of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) that manages the shrine.
The third blast in a week near Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine, took place at 12.10am on Thursday behind Guru Ram Das Niwas (inn) near the langar hall (community kitchen) of Golden Temple.
On Thursday, the accused had thrown the explosives from the second floor of the inn. Earlier, two blasts had taken place in the Saragarhi parking on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple. The first blast occurred at 11.30pm on May 6 followed by another low-intensity explosion at 6.30am on May 8.
Accused’s wife taken into custody for questioning
“Azad Veer and Amrik assembled the IEDs. Forensic probe confirmed both these were low-grade explosions. Chlorides and bromides with a mixture of sulphate, which are used in making firecrackers, were used to make the IEDs,” the DGP said.
The explosives were procured from Saheb Singh, who runs a licensed shop of making firecrackers in the Anhgarh area of Amritsar.
He said the main perpetrators of the blasts were Amrik and Azad Veer. Amrik’s wife has also been taken into custody and is being questioned on his role.
“The first IED was assembled at Guru Ram Das Sarai (Inn). Three containers, including two cans of an energy drink and a metal tiffin, were filled with the explosive. Around 200gm of the explosive was placed in the containers and all of them were tied together and put in a polythene. The IED was then dangled by Azad Veer from the rooftop of the parking building at Heritage Street, using a thread. The explosion of this IED took place at 11.30pm on Saturday,” he said.
“After the blast, the accused thought the impact was not according to their expectation and assembled the second IED in a bathroom of the sarai. The second IED was again hanged from the rooftop of the parking and the explosion took place on Monday morning,” Yadav said.
In-depth probe on, SIT to be constituted
The DGP said an in-depth examination of the case was on. “Their backward and forward linkages are being ascertained. National agencies will be roped in the investigation,” he added.
A special investigation team (SIT) will be constituted to probe all angles, including the suspected links of the accused abroad.
He said it’s too early to disclose the motive of the accused, who have been booked under Sections 9-B Explosives Act, 3-4-5 Explosive material, 13,16,18. Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Azad Veer, Amrik Singh and Saheb Singh already face criminal cases. Azad was booked for hurting religious sentiments in Amritsar. Similarly, Amrik is facing a case under the NDPS Act. Saheb is also facing a case under the Explosives Act.
