As Punjab Police claimed to have cracked the case of the third blast near Golden Temple this week, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) said it was the efficient surveillance and prompt action of its employees that led to the arrest of the accused, including a woman. The SGPC also accused the police of adoption a “lenient” approach towards the investigation.
Five people arrested in connection with the explosions reportedly stayed at Sri Guru Ram Das Sarai, located just a few meters from the Golden Temple. It was behind this building in Galliara that the third low-intensity explosion had struck in the early hours of Thursday.
SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said staffer Tajinder Singh and his colleagues who were on duty rushed to the spot as soon as they noticed a bright light flash on one of the CCTV cameras.
“By the time they reached the spot, the accused had already moved from the place, but could not escape from the eagle eye of our staffers. They came back to the CCTV room and replayed the footage to zero in on one of the suspects. Since the whole area in and around the shrine is covered with the CCTV cameras, the suspect was traced and caught by our staffers. By that time, the policemen too had reached the spot and he was arrested. Later, he led to his partners in crime,” Dhami said.
He alleged that laxity on the part of the police had led to the explosions on May 6, May 8 and May 11 near the holy Sikh shrine. He added that CCTV camera vigil in and around the Golden Temple will be enhanced.
“Three back-to-back explosions within a span of six days, that too in close proximity, and the police remained clueless? This itself shows their inefficiency. Forget the government or the police; we will install CCTV cameras on the entire stretch of the Heritage Street that leads to the shrine,” Dhami said.
Dhami said the “conspiracy” was politically influenced. “I believe that the police might have now cracked it as the accused were in their custody and may pat their back, but I firmly demand that truth must prevail devoid of any political interest,” he said.
Among those arrested are a newly-wed couple from Guru Ram Das Sarai. One of the suspects had hurled the explosives from the bathroom of the Sarai towards the Galliara. A search of room number 225 where they were staying led to two bags and some torn bits of paper.