Amritsar blast Updates: At least three people were killed and over 15 others were injured in a grenade attack at Rajasansi village near Amristar on Sunday afternoon. The incident took place during a religious ceremony at the Nirankari Bhawan. IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar confirmed the detah toll to news agency ANI. The incident occurred around 12 noon when hundreds of people had gathered here to participate in the event. The injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals.
As per reports, unidentified bikers hurled explosives in the premises and escaped from the site. Meanwhile, police said that high alert has been declared in Punjab and search operations are underway to identify the trio.
Amritsar blast: DGP Punjab Suresh Arora visited Ivy Hospital to meet those injured. Earlier, Arora said grenade attack on a religious congregation on the outskirts of Amritsar city appears to be a 'terrorist act'. 'It (this incident) appears to have a terror angle. Because it is against a group (of people) and it is not against any individual. There is no reason to throw a hand grenade on a group of people, so we will take it as a terrorist act. Till proven otherwise, prima facie we will take it as that,' Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora told PTI. To a question, the DGP said there was no specific input about any possible attack on Nirankari Bhavan.
The possibility of involvement of ISI-based Khalistani/Kashmiri terror groups could not be ruled out. Police teams have been rushed to raid suspected hideouts of the assailants and multiple teams are investigating various angles to crack the case: Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh
- We have never seen such an attack in last 15 years.
- They are saying we will not let the Akalis enter the village where the blast has taken place.
- Congress shouldn't let Punjab slip into state of violence again
Arora said about 200 devotees were inside at the time of the attack. No CCTV camera was installed at the premises, preliminary investigations found, he said. "We have launched relief and rescue operations," he said. After the attack, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh reviewed the law and order situation and directed the Home Secretary, DGP (Law and Order) and DG Intelligence to rush to Rajasansi to supervise investigations.
"It (this incident) appears to have a terror angle. Because it is against a group (of people) and it is not against any individual. There is no reason to throw a hand grenade on a group of people, so we will take it as a terrorist act. Till proven otherwise, prima facie we will take it as that," Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora told PTI. To a question, the DGP said there was no specific input about any possible attack on Nirankari Bhavan. "There was no issue with this group as such… There was no specific input on (Nirankari Bhavan)," he said.
Punjab Police DGP Suresh Arora has told PTI that grenade attack on religious congregation in Amritsar appears to be "terrorist act". The Union Home Ministry officials, meanwhile, have said that there are "enough leads" and the probe is going in the right direction.
The Punjab Police had carried out "fantastic" investigations into the killing of seven RSS men in the past and the force is capable of unearthing the conspiracy behind similar incidents, another ministry official said.
Here are the latest visuals from Nirankari Bhawan where the attack happened -
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday reviewed the law and order situation in the state after the grenade attack by bike-borne assailants. Condemning the attack, Singh asked the state home secretary, DGP, DG (Law and Order) and DG Intelligence to rush to Rajasansi area, close to Amritsar international airport, and oversee the investigation into the attack on a Nirankari Bhavan, an official spokesman said.
At least three people were killed and over 15 others injured when motorcycle-borne masked men threw a grenade at Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi area of Amritsar on Sunday. According to police, the attack took place around 12 noon.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that he is deeply anguished by the death of innocent people in Amritsar grenade attack incident. "It is a reprehensible act of violence. My condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in this attack and prayers for speedy recovery of the injured." Singh also tweeted that he spoke to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh who has apprised him of the situation in the wake of grenade attack. "Strongest possible action will be taken against the perpetrators of this crime," he said.
According to witnesses, two youths on a motorcycle forced entry to the Nirankari Bhawan by pointing a pistol at a woman volunteer at the gate. The attackers were covering their faces. 'Everything happened within a couple of minutes. They got in, threw the grenade and fled,' one witness said. The incident came amid a high alert issued on November 14 by the Punjab Police about terrorists' movement in the state.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has reviewed the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the grenade attack. According to an official spokesman, while reviewing the law and order situation, CM directed the Home Secretary, DGP, DG (Law and Order) and DG Intelligence to rush to Rajasansi in Amritsar to supervise investigations. Meanwhile, security has been strengthened at all Nirankari Bhawans in the state, Haryana and Delhi.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh condemned the attack and reviewed the law and order situation in the state. He asked the Home Secretary and top police officials, including Punjab DGP, DGP Intelligence and DGP Law & Order to rush to the spot to investigate. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been announced to the kin of those killed and free treatment to the injured.
The police have confirmed that Zakir Moosa has no connection with this blast. Earlier, he had masterminded and guided the Maqsudan Police Station hand-grenade blasts of September 14.
According to police, 200 people including women were present at the Nirankari Bhawan at the time of blast. Attackers were carrying pistols and is is suspected that around 20 people are injured. Police also said that there were no CCTVs installed at Nirankari Bhawan.
It is being reported that there were around 100 people inside the ashram building when the blast took place. A high alert has been issued in the region and also in Noida. The police have also sealed Punjab border with Rajasthan.
Last week, four persons had snatched a SUV from its driver at a gunpoint near Madhopur in Pathankot district. Since then, the state was put on alert and search operations were conducted to identify the snatchers.
According to eyewitness accounts, the grenade was lobbed by bike-borne persons. A senior Punjab police official who visited the site told PTI that a grenade has been lobbed and 5-10 persons have been injured in the incident. He confirmed that three persons were killed in the blast. The state was on alert following an input claiming that JeM terrorists had reportedly entered the state possibly in Ferozepur area.
According to tv reports, intelligence inputs about attacks by terrorists were shared with police just recently. It had said that terrorists have reportedly entered via Ferozepur sector and can trigger blasts before making their way to Delhi.
In his statement, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar has offered condolences and expressed confidence that no one can disturn peace in the state. "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," he said.
The blast took place two days after the intelligence agencies had informed the Punjab police about Zakir Moosa's movements near Amritsar. He is the chief of Jammu and Kashmir based Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terror outfit with reported links to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
"We had inputs about his (Zakir Moosa's) movements near Amritsar. So we have released wanted posters of him to make public aware and have requested them to tell us if they have any information," Gurdaspur police officer Swarandeep Singh, had said.
However, it would be too early to conclude that Moosa was behind Sunday's bomb blast.
Meanwhile, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora has left for Amritsar. It is expected that he will visit Nirankari Bhawan to take first hand stock of the situation.
According to a PTI report, police suspect it to be a grenade attack. Amritsar SSP (Rural) Parampal Singh said that the blast occurred at the congregation at Adhiwala village here.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2016, Punjab witnessed maximum incidents of major terror attacks and blasts - 31 - followed by 27 in Jammu and Kashmir from 1989 till 2015. A total of 445 people were killed in Punjab and 401 injured, most of them during the period of militancy in the state.
Intelligence agencies had received information about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists in Amritsar, Gurdaspur areas after which the security at the Attari border and Amritsar airport was beefed up earlier in the day. It was suspected that there was a possibility of infiltration of Pakistan based terrorists in the region.
Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha has also confirmed the death toll in the blast. He added that one injured personal is currently critical. Rescue anf relief operations are underway.
The three attackers were bike and covering their face, according to ABP News. It added that they even opened fire before hurling explosives.
Rajasansi is a small town and a nagar panchayat in Amritsar district with a population of over 12,000 people, according to Census 2011. The village is important as the Amristar International Airport is located on Ajnala-Rajasansi Road.
Meanwhile, a forensic team has reached the blast site and is currently inspecting. Polic said that heavy contingent of security officials have been deployed at Nirankari Bhawan and also various check-posts have been set up to nab the attackers.
Earlier in September, a policeman was injured in an explosion in Punjab's Jalandhar city after something was thrown at the station. The blast had taken place in the Maqsudan Police Station. The policeman had sustained minor injuries but any terror angle was ruled out back then.
IG (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar confirmed that three people were killed in the blast. Parmar added that 10 others have suffered injuries in the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi village. Parmar said that some incident of grenade throwing has reportedly happened and police have been rushed to the spot.
High alert has been declared in Delhi in view of the bomb blast in Amritsar that left at least 3 dead. Police have done barricading at all entry points and rigorous search operations are underway to detect suspicious movements.
According to television reports, three people were killed in the blast at Nirankari Bhawan. As many as 8 people have suffered injuries in the incident. Meanwhile, police officials have reached to spot and necessary actions are being taken to cordon off the area.