Five arrested in Punjab after 3rd low-intensity blast in a week in Amritsar

Amritsar blasts: SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the government was negligent and hence the 3rd blast took place.

Punjab Police on Thursday claimed to have solved the case of the low-intensity blasts in the vicinity of the Golden Temple in Amritsar after the third explosion took place at 12.30am on Thursday. Taking to Twitter, Punjab Director-General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that the case has been solved with the arrest of five people who were involved in the incident. The motive behind the blasts was to disturb peace, police said.

Punjab police personnel stand guard near the blast site at Galiara near Shri Guru Ram Das Sarai of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Thursday. (Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times)

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami blamed the negligence of the government and said the security squad of the gurdwara body apprehended three persons including a couple who were staying in Guru Ramdas Serai behind which the fresh explosion took place. The apprehended persons were handed over to the police later. He said the government showed negligence in handling this matter and that is why the third explosion took place. The newly wed couple threw the explosives from the bathroom of the sarai where they were staying towards the Galliara. Reports said they were staying in room number 224 of the sarai. Police recovered some handwritten pages from the possession of the accused. Sources said firecrackers material was used to make the explosions. None of the arrested persons has any known terror link.

The first blast took place on Saturday night on Heritage Street leading to the Golden Temple. Some tourists were injured. The second blast took place on Monday around the same place. Nobody was injured in it.