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Punjab: Second blast in two days on Heritage Street near Golden Temple, 1 injured
Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav inspects Saragarhi parking, the site of low-intensity crude explosion on Monday morning, says probing all angles as similar blast had occurred at the site on Saturday night, leaving another person injured
One person was injured on Monday morning in a blast at Heritage Street near Golden Temple in Amritsar, at the site where an explosion took place on May 6, police said. This was the second low-intensity blast in the high-security zone in two days as one person was injured in the explosion on Heritage Street on Saturday night.
One person suffered minor injuries in the leg and glass facades of nearby buildings Saragarhi parking were damaged in the explosion at 6.30am on Monday. A sweeper at the spot when the incident occurred said, “I was doing my duty as usual when I heard a loud blast and smoke around,” he said.
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One person had received minor injuries in a similar blast at 11.30pm on Saturday.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav inspected the blast site and said the police were not ruling out any angle, including terror attack.
“Preliminary investigation has found that both were low-intensity explosions. Our forensic team is working on them. We have not found any triggering mechanism or detonator at the spot. It seems the explosive material was put into a container. The absence of a trigger means it is a crude device. We are investigating it thoroughly and not ruling out any angle. It’s too early to say if it’s a mischief or if there’s a terror angle,” he said.
The police are examining CCTV footage of the area and questioning eyewitnesses. The DGP urged people to maintain calm. “Everything, including the movement of people, is normal. Our social media handle should be checked regularly and people should avoid believing rumours,” he said.
The explosive was put in a container and a thread was hanging out of it. “A passer-by may have accidentally pulled the thread and the device fell, causing the blast. There were no shrapnel,” he said.
On Saturday, the blast occurred at the Saragarhi parking, leaving a man identified as Sonu Rajput, who was sleeping on Heritage Street, injured.
