Amritsar (Punjab)

A blast occurred at Thakurdwara Temple in Khandwala, Amritsar, late last night after two bike-borne men lobbed an object, suspected to be an explosive, at the temple. According to eyewitnesses, two young men riding a motorcycle were seen lobbing a suspicious object towards the temple. CCTV footage has captured the incident.

No injuries were reported, and police personnel were immediately present at the scene to investigate the incident.

Amritsar Commissioner GPS Bhullar has suggested the hand of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI in the blast.

"We got information at 2 a.m. We reached the spot right away. The forensic team was called... We checked the CCTV and spoke to the nearby people. The thing is that Pakistan's ISI lures our youth into creating disturbances in Punjab," he said.

Bhullar expressed confidence in solving the case swiftly, saying, "We will trace this case within days and take appropriate action." He also issued a stern warning to the youth, urging them not to ruin their lives. "I warn the youth not to ruin their lives... We will catch the culprits soon," he added.

Police teams have seized the CCTV footage, and according to preliminary investigation, the youth on a motorcycle had a flag in his hands, and the two of them were standing around the temple for some time before lobbing the grenade.

Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal stated that the police had taken control of the situation.

"There were some miscreants who hurled a grenade at a temple after 12 a.m. There are no injuries or casualties... The situation is under control... Two people have been identified... The police are in action; they will be caught within a day," the Minister said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that certain elements were always trying to disturb the peace in the state.

"There are always many attempts to disturb the peace in Punjab. Drugs, gangsters, extortion are part of it, and there are attempts to show that Punjab has become a disturbed state... During the festival of Holi in other states, the police had to use lathi-charge during processions. But such things do not happen in Punjab... The law and order situation in Punjab is good," he said.

The incident of the blast at Thakurdwara Temple comes after at least five people were injured after an assailant attacked people with an iron rod in the Golden Temple premises on Friday. The attack took place at Shri Guru Ramdas Sarai, which is a lodging facility for pilgrims.

In a separate case, a joint operation by CIA Moga and CIA Malout led to an exchange of fire while attempting to arrest the accused in the murder case of Mangat Ram, a Shiv Sena member from Moga. Mangat Ram was killed in a firing incident on March 13.

As per a press note, "During an attempt to arrest the accused in FIR No. 64/2025 under Sections 103(1), 191(3), 190 BNS, and 25/27 Arms Act registered at PS City South, Moga, regarding the murder of Mangat Ram (Shiv Sena Moga), a joint operation was conducted by CIA Moga and CIA Malout."

The police had gathered intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the suspects and surrounded them at their hideout in Angadpura Mohalla, Moga. The accused, identified as Arun alias Deepu, son of Gurpreet Singh; Arun alias Singha, son of Babbu Singh; and Rajveer alias Laddo, son of Ashok Kumar, were believed to be involved in the murder.

When the police attempted the arrest, the suspects opened fire on the team. According to reports, two bullets were fired from a 0.32 pistol and three bullets from a 0.30 pistol. In response, the police fired in self-defense, discharging three bullets from a 9mm pistol and one bullet from a 0.32 pistol.

As a result of the gunfire, Arun was hit in the left leg, while Singha sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg. Rajveer was injured while trying to flee the scene. All three accused were taken to Civil Hospital in Malout for treatment of their injuries.

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"Mangat Ram, a Shiv Sena leader from Moga, has been killed in a firing incident that took place last night. We have registered an FIR based on his wife's statement. There are a total of six accused named in the FIR. Further investigation is underway... A saloon owner and a child have also been injured," Moga SP said to ANI on Friday.

"First, the firing took place in a saloon, injuring one person. Then they started chasing Mangat Ram while firing... They fired shots on the street near the stadium, killing Mangat Ram... Further investigation is underway... A total of 4-5 shots were fired..." he added.

(With ANI inputs)