CCTV captures explosion at Amritsar Temple, police suspect Pakistan ties

CCTV captures explosion at Amritsar Temple, police suspect Pakistan ties

An explosion took place outside a temple in Amritsar, damaging its walls and breaking windows, as stated by officials on Saturday. CCTV footage allegedly captured two young men carrying out a grenade attack on the Thakur Dwara temple complex.

A viral video circulating on social media shows two unidentified individuals arriving at the temple on a motorcycle. After pausing for a short time, one of them threw an explosive at the temple before both fled the scene. A powerful explosion occurred shortly after their escape, according to News18 reports.

The incident occurred at 12:35 am, according to reports. Although no one was injured, it sparked panic among residents in the Khandwala area of Amritsar. The police have begun investigating the attack using CCTV footage to identify the attackers and understand the nature of the attack.

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu condemned the incident, holding the Bhagwant Mann-led government responsible for the deteriorating law and order in Punjab. “AAP government fails to check repeated incidents of blasts in border city. Deteriorating law and order in Punjab is matter of serious concern", he said.

I strongly condemn bomb attack on Thakur Dwara temple, Khandwala in Amritsar. AAP government fails to check repeated incidents of blasts in border city. Deteriorating law and order in Punjab is matter of serious concern.@ANI@PTI_News@CNNnews18pic.twitter.com/caQtjnMCrn

Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) March 15, 2025

“At around 12 am, two people came on bike, stopped outside the Thakur Dwara Mandir, conducted a recce and threw a grenade at the temple. The blast was so powerful that is also affected the nearby buildings, breaking their windows and all. The police later reached the spot. As per the evidence, this was a grenade attack," said advocate Kiranpreet Singh, as reported by News18.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the police were alerted about the incident around 2 am by the temple priest. He mentioned that he and other senior officials arrived at the scene, and police teams are working to identify the individuals involved in the blast.

Without directly naming anyone, Punjab CM Mann said, “From time to time, there are attempts to defame Punjab, but our Punjab Police constantly take timely action against anti-social elements. On the occasion of Holi, where violent incidents took place in different parts of the country, everyone in Punjab played Holi together. Punjab is completely safe from law and order point of view."

Bhullar alleged that the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI, was behind attacks like the bomb blast outside the Amritsar temple. He added that the agency is continuously inciting young people from poor families to carry out such acts.

“The forensic team has also reached the spot and I have spoken with the people here. Efforts are being made by Pakistan to disturb the atmosphere here, and some local youths are involved in this. I urge our youths not to get involved in such activities," he told news agency PTI.

Bhullar mentioned that recent events have revealed the ISI's focus on exploiting weaker segments of society. He also warned that people who get tempted by money to carry out such attacks will face serious consequences.

In the past few months, at least 13 bomb attacks have occurred in Punjab, raising alarms about the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, particularly as they have been targeting religious places and temples. In other districts of Punjab, most explosions have been reported near police stations and checkpoints.

On February 14, an explosion took place outside the home of a policeman in the Dera Baba Nanak area of Gurdaspur district. Before that, suspected terrorists targeted a closed police checkpoint on Fatehgarh Churiyan Road in Amritsar.

In January, an explosion occurred at the Gumtala checkpoint in Amritsar, for which the pro-Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International claimed responsibility. The group was also responsible for the blast at the Bangi Wadala village police checkpoint in Gurdaspur on December 21, 2024.