At least three people were killed and 20 injured in a grenade attack at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar's Rajasansi village on Sunday.
The blast targeted a religious congregation of the Nirankari, a spiritual organisation, in Adliwal village of Amritsar.
"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.
Eyewitnesses said two young men arrived on a motorcycle and threw a bomb inside the Nirankari Bhawan complex where a large gathering of people was attending a satsang. The Nirankari sect has regular Sunday meetings.
Around 250 people were inside the complex at the time of the blast, Inspector-General of Police (Border) Surinder Pal Singh Parmar said.
An eyewitness told reporters that the two bike-borne assailants entered the complex and began firing and then lobbed explosives at the crowd.
Rajasansi is a village located next to the international airport in Amritsar. The Nirankari sect has millions of followers in Punjab and around the world. Rajasansi is home to not just the airport but also an Indian Air Force Station nearby.
The incident happened at around noon. Police confirmed that three people were dead and at least 10 were injured.
Injured people were rescued and taken to different hospitals in Amritsar. Four out of the injured are said to be critical. They are receiving medical attention.
The police is yet to identify the suspected attackers.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh held a meeting with top officials to review law and order situation in the state. He has asked the home secretary, DGP, DG (Law and Order) and DG Intelligence to rush to Rajasansi supervise investigations. "My heart goes out to victims of the Amritsar bomb blast & their families. My govt will give Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the dead and free treatment to injured. Have asked district administration to extend all help," the CM tweeted.
My heart goes out to victims of the Amritsar bomb blast & their families. My govt will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each of the dead and free treatement to injured. Have asked district administration to extend all help.
Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 18, 2018
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar also offered condolences to those who have lost family members in the incident and called it an attempt to disturb peace in Punjab. He called on different departments responsible for maintaining law and order to stay alert and coordinate better to prevent any flareup.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief also condemned the attack. "A cowardly act. We strongly condemn it," he wrote on Twitter.
The state was on alert after information that Kashmiri terrorist Zakir Musa was spotted in the highly-sensitive border area. The police had put up posters with Moosa’s photos warning people. That was soon after 4 suspects snatched an Innova car at a gunpoint in Madhopur in Pathankot.
India Today TV had learnt that in two separate reports, intelligence agencies had informed Punjab Police about the terrorists' plan to attack and disrupt the law and order situation in the state.
New Delhi and National Capital Region is on high alert after the blast.
(With inputs from Satender Chauhan)