Amritsar: Blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi Village, 3 Killed
The purported terror attack comes in the backdrop of multiple alerts issued by the Intelligence, warning the presence of Kashmiri terrorists in Punjab.
Amritsar, November 18: At least three people have been killed and 15 left injured in a blast reported on Sunday at Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi village of Amritsar district. The victims were rushed to the nearest hospital, whereas, the police have arrived at the site to begin preliminary probe.
The Nirankari a religious sect within Sikhism, who have been at loggerheads with the pro-Khalistan elements over the last four decades. According to eyewitnesses outside the religious hall in Rajasansi, two bike-borne youths threw grenade bombs inside the Nirankari Bhawan which led to the explosion. Punjab on High Alert: Police Issue Posters of Zakir Moosa After the Al-Qaeda Terrorist 'Spotted in Amritsar'.
"Out of 250 people who were present in the religious congregation, 3 are dead and 15-20 injured. As per initial reports, 2 people had come over here who knocked a grenade here," said IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar.
The purported terror attack comes in the backdrop of multiple alerts issued by the Intelligence, warning the presence of "5-6 Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists" in Punjab. Posters were also propped up in Amritsar region asking locals to provide information on al-Qaeda operative Zakir Musa, who was suspected to have entered the state.
Police officials privy to the preliminary probe said their immediate target is to nab the bike-borne attackers who threw the grenades and fled. They further added that it could not be ascertained at this moment whether the attack was carried out by Islamist extremists or Khalistani militants.
The ruling Congress government has assured to crackdown on the perpetrators of the crime, while paying condolence to the victims.
"My condolences are with families of those who lost lives in this incident. It is an attempt to disturb peace in Punjab. I believe all the security agencies should stay alert and coordinate with each other to maintain peace," said Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2018 01:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).