Amritsar Blast: Pakistan Denies Involvement in Grenade Attack at Nirankari Bhawan

Islamabad, November 22: Pakistan on Thursday denied allegations of its involvement in Amritsar blast at Nirankari Bhawan which claimed lives of three people. Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh held Pakistan responsible for the attack. The Punjab CM claimed that the grenades used in the blast were similar to the ones being manufactured by Pakistan ordinance factory. Yesterday, Punjab police also arrested one terrorist in connection with the blast.

At the press conference, the CM released an image of Bikramjit Singh, one of the accused held in the case. "I'm happy to announce that police nabbed one of the two persons involved. 26-year-old Bikramjit Singh has been arrested. The other man will also be arrested soon. His name is Avtar Singh", he said. Captain Singh also denied any communal angle in the attack. During the press briefing, he said that the attackers targeted the Nirankari Bhawan it was an easy target.

According to the Punjab police, Harmeet Singh ‘PhD’ alias Happy is the mastermind of the attack. Happy is the leader of the Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). The KLF leader had also planned and strategist the targeted killings of some socio-religious leaders in the state in 2016-17. Happy is a native of Amritsar and living in Pakistan for over two decades.

On November 18, at least three people were killed and over a dozen were injured when unidentified assailants lobbed grenades at the Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar's Rajasansi village. As per details by the eyewitness, bike-borne assailants lobbed the grenade. The attackers forced their way inside the Bhawan by pointing a gun at a woman devotee who was on duty at the gate.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2018 06:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).