Amritsar blast: Police arrest man who allegedly threw the grenade at the Nirankari Bhavan
This is the second arrest in the case. Both accused have no prior criminal history, the police said.
The Punjab Police on Saturday said they had arrested the man who allegedly threw the grenade in the attack on a religious congregation in Amritsar, PTI reported. The attack at the Nirankari Bhawan in Adliwala village last week had killed three people and injured 20.
Director General of Police Suresh Arora identified the accused as Avtar Singh. A .32 bore pistol, a United States-made pistol, four magazines and 25 live cartridges were seized during his arrest, the police official said.
Avtar Singh was arrested in Khiala village in Lopoke, The Tribune reported. He will be produced in court to secure police remand soon, the police said.
The development follows the arrest of 26-year-old Bikramjit Singh, who was riding the motorcycle. Avtar Singh rode pillion. Bikramjit Singh is believed to be an operative of militant organisation Khalistan Liberation Force.
The police said a Pakistan-based man identified as Javed and an Italy-based man identified as Paramajit Singh Baba also had a role in the attack.
Arora refuted claims by the families of the arrested accused that they have been falsely implicated. “We have enough evidence against them,” Arora said. “We do not believe in false implications. We have recovered weapons in the presence of the duty magistrate.”
The two arrested have no prior criminal history, Arora said. The director general of police, however, expressed fear that “inimical forces were trying to spread a disinformation campaign” on social media to misguide youth of the state.
On November 21, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said the grenade used in the attack was made in Pakistan. Two days before that, he had hinted at the possibility of the involvement of separatist groups backed by Islamabad after visiting the attack site. The chief minister said the case was being investigated as an act of terror.