3 bomb attacks in a week at Golden Temple: Who’s behind it?

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, the most revered sites for Sikhs in India, was shaken on Thursday morning when a low-intensity blast took place around the area. This is the third such incident taking place around the holy site, raising many questions about the security in the area.

Shortly after Thursday’s incident, the Punjab Police said that it had nabbed five people. The Tribune reported that a newly-wed couple was among the five miscreants that had been arrested for the blast.

What’s going on at the temple? Who is responsible for these attacks? How have the authorities reacted?

Three blasts in a week

In the wee hours of Thursday, around 12.30 am, a low-intensity blast was heard near Shri Guru Ramdas Ji Niwas near Golden Temple in Amritsar.

#WATCH | Amritsar: Visuals from outside the building of Shri Guru Ramdas Ji Niwas from where suspects were rounded up in the aftermath of a loud sound, that was heard near the Golden Temple, which, as per the police, could be another explosion.#Punjab pic.twitter.com/CXzms3FdYw

— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2023

The Punjab Police immediately rushed in and apprehended five people for the attack, with the Director General of Punjab Police tweeting, “Amritsar low-intensity explosion cases solved.”

Police official Naunihal Singh told news agency AFP, “The area is totally sealed and a forensic team is working on it.”

According to Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami it was a team of their members who quickly investigated the explosion and apprehended the accused. Speaking to Indian Express, he said, “Our staff noticed the incident on CCTV cameras. They visited the spot and noticed a man entering and leaving a washroom. Then, they used CCTV footage to track that man and apprehended him.”

According to reports, the main accused threw the bomb from the window of a washroom situated on the second floor of an inn near the site of worship. He then returned to room 225 and slept outside it.

SGPC president Dhami also came down heavily on the state government and emphasised that these matters should not be taken lightly. He was quoted as telling ANI, “This is the failure of the Punjab government. We will strengthen our own task force now. We urge police to hold a thorough probe into the matter.”

This is the third such blast around the Golden Temple. The first took place on 6 May at Heritage Street near the revered site and the second followed on 8 May at the same location. In the first blast, one sustained minor injuries and similarly one more was hurt in the second. The explosive used in the two blasts on Heritage Street in Amritsar were packed with two health drink cans.

Later on Thursday, Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav in a press conference revealed details about the accused and gave further details about the blasts. He said the incidents were aimed to disturb the peace in the area. He added that firecracker explosives were used in the blasts.

DGP Yadav identified the five accused as Azadvir Singh, Amreek Singh, Sahib Singh, Harjeet Singh and Dharmendra Singh. He said that of the five, three were involved in the sourcing of the explosives. One woman is also being questioned, he said. In the press conference, he further added that three containers of explosives triggered the last blast.

#WATCH | Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav gives details about recent low-intensity explosions near Amritsar's Golden Temple and the arrest of five persons in this connection pic.twitter.com/ObwilIPxRR

— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2023

No mention of Khalistani elements or of their involvement has been mentioned as of now, with News18 reporting that one of the accused was identified as a former government employee, with extreme radical views.

Past attacks at Golden Temple

The Golden Temple is revered by the Sikhs all over the world. However, it has been a scene of violence on multiple occasions.

The most significant of these was in 1984 when the Indian Army stormed their way into the 17th-century shrine’s compound to flush out more than 2,000 Sikh militants. Indira Gandhi, the then-prime minister of India, had ordered the military operation – Operation Bluestar. Several people were killed and the temple was destroyed during the operation, which took place between 1 June and 8 June 1984.

The operation was aimed at neutralising Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and his armed supporters who had taken up residence in Amritsar’s Golden Temple complex.

In June 2014, the temple once again witnessed violence when rival groups of Sikhs clashed at the shrine, with ceremonial swords and staffs being swung in anger, resulting in injuries and panic. The incident, as per a Times of India report, took place when a group of “radical Sikh activists” wanted to brandish their swords and chant slogans calling for a separate Sikh homeland, or Khalistan. Other news outlets said the clash followed an argument over who would be allowed to speak at the event, and in what order.

In December 2021, tensions had erupted again around the temple complex when a man in his 20s was beaten to death after being accused of a sacrilege attempt.

In March, the Golden Temple was the site of unrest when hundreds of Amritpal Singh supporters came out and chanted slogans of ‘Amritpal Singh Zindabad’ after the police had issued a lookout circular, non-bailable warrant against the pro-Khalistan leader.

With inputs from agencies

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