Three persons were killed and 20 wounded in a suspected terror attack after two men on motorcycles hurled grenades at a congregation of nearly 200 people gathered at the Nirankari Bhavan near the outskirts of Amritsar on Sunday.
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said preliminary investigations had so far revealed that two men with covered faces, one of them with a flowing beard, allegedly forced their way into the hall by brandishing a pistol. They then detained the sewadar, lobbed the grenade into the prayer room, and fled on a motorcycle. He added that the possibility of involvement of ISI-related Khalistani/Kashmiri terror groups could not be ruled out, claiming that 15 such terror modules had been busted in the past 18 months. Announcing a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin, he directed the district administration to provide the best possible medical care, free of cost, to the injured. A small crater was formed by the impact of the explosion, and was being examined by the forensic team. The safety valve of the grenade has also been found and was being examined, he said.
The Director General of Police Suresh Arora, who along with senior police officers rushed to the spot, said the incident appears to be a terrorist act. After the incident, the Bhavan was sealed by the police and security was stepped up at other "Nirankari Bhavans" in the state.
Incidentally, Punjab had been on alert following an input that a group of six to seven JeM terrorists were reportedly in the state.
Following the incident, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh took an update on the investigations and leads after speaking to the Punjab CM and promised strongest possible action against the perpetrators of the crime. "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," the home minister said.
Punjab had gone through militancy in the 1980s and early 1990s, but the Khalistani movement has been largely curbed over the years. Army Chief Bipin Rawat had recently warned that attempts were being made to revive insurgency in Punjab and had even cautioned that people needed to be careful especially during the festival season.
"The state won't let the forces of terror to destroy the hard-earned peace," Punjab chief minister said.
(with Agency inputs)