Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday, 21 November addressed the media after one person was arrested in connection with the blast at Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar and called it a “pure case of terrorism.” The arrested accused has been identified as Bikramjit Singh. The second accused, Avtar Singh, is still on the run.
Singh blamed Pakistan and the ISI for the attack and said it was only conducted to disrupt peace in Punjab.
Unidentified assailants hurled a grenade at a gathering of Nirankari sect followers in Punjab’s Amritsar on Sunday, 18 November that left three people dead and injured 20.
- Punjab Police detained suspects in raids conducted by various teams of the state police
- Three people died and 20 were injured in a grenade attack at a gathering of Nirankari sect followers in Punjab’s Amritsar on Sunday, 18 November
- Punjab CM Amarinder Singh announced a Rs 5 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Amritsar Blast Main Accused Avtar Singh Arrested
Punjab police have arrested Avtar Singh, main accused in the Nirankari Bhavan grenade attack. Announcing the arrest of Avtar Singh, Punjab DGP Suresh Arora said the accused had clear links with radicals settled abroad.
DGP Arora said Avtar Singh and another accused, Bikramjit Singh, were in touch with a person named Javed in Pakistan and a radical Sikh Paramjit Singh Baba in Italy.
Police had arrested Bikramjit Singh on Wednesday.
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Son of Operation Blue Star Deserter is the Second Accused - Still Absconding
Punjab police named two suspects - Bikramjit Singh and Avtar Singh for the Amritsar grenade attack.
While Bikramjit Singh was arrested on Wednesday itself, Avtar Singh, according to Indian Express, is the son of Gurdial Singh who reportedly deserted the Army after Operation Blue Star in 1984. According to the Indian Express report, Avtar is a registered medical practitioner.
Announcing Bikramjit’s arrest, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said it was Avtar who lobbed the grenade.
"Grenade Made in Pakistan:": CM Amarinder Singh Tells Media
CM Amarinder Singh, while addressing the media, said that one person identified as 26-year-old Bikramjit Singh has been arrested and the search for the other accused, Avtar Singh is on. Blaming Pakistan and ISI for the attack, he said that Punjab is going to be one step ahead of them against any misadventures in Punjab.
“They went to Kashmir, came to Punjab, might go to Rajasthan as well. Their goal is only to disrupt peace in the country,” he said.
“There is no communal angle. It's pure case of terrorism. They were targeted as they were easy targets. We had info in the past about other organisations being targeted but we took precautionary measures & prevented that,” he added.
Singh also said that the grenade was made in a Pakistan-licensed factory and had pellet-like shells inside it.
1 Arrested, Amarinder Singh to Brief Media
One person has been arrested after interrogating hardliners, CNN-News18 reported. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will reportedly brief the media at 4 pm.