The North News
Chandigarh/Amritsar March 15
Punjab Police have arrested three key suspects in Bihar in connection with an attack on a Hindu temple in Amritsar, officials said on Monday. The men, accused of supplying a grenade used in the attack, were apprehended while attempting to flee to Nepal.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the arrests followed an intelligence-led operation in Madhepura district’s Kumarkhand area. The suspects, linked to the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), had previously delivered arms and explosives recovered in an earlier police operation, he said in his post on X previously known as Twitter.
The accused, who lived in Amritsar’s Khandwala and Chehartta areas, are being brought back to Punjab for further interrogation, Yadav added.
The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday when two masked men on a motorcycle threw an grenade at Thakur Dwara Temple in Amritsar’s Khandwala area. The blast, which occurred at 12:45 am, caused no injuries, police said. The CCTV footage captured the assailants fleeing the scene.
Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said investigators had obtained key leads and expected a breakthrough soon. He accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, of orchestrating such attacks to destabilise Punjab. “Forensic teams have collected samples, and we are investigating all angles,” he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann sought to reassure residents, pledging to maintain peace and security. He also highlighted ongoing police efforts to curb cross-border drone activity linked to arms and drug smuggling.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu condemned the attack and criticised the AAP-led Punjab government. “Repeated blasts in the border city are alarming. The deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab is a serious concern,” he said.
