CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR: A man suspected of hurling a grenade at Thakurdwara temple in Amritsar on March 15 was killed in a shootout with Punjab Police early on Monday.
Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar said cops tracked the suspects – Gursidak Singh and his accomplice Vishal – to Bal Sikander village near Amritsar city around 6am. When police attempted to arrest them, they opened fire and wounded a head constable.
Police returned fire, fatally wounding Gursidak. Vishal escaped, triggering a manhunt.
Two men on a motorcycle had targeted the temple around 12.35am, damaging a portion of the Vaishnava shrine dedicated to Laddoo Gopal, a form of Krishna. No injuries were reported in the explosion. The priest was sleeping inside and narrowly escaped harm.
Addressing concerns over police shootings, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav defended the response. “If anyone fires at police, police will retaliate. This is not an aggressive policy. It is self-defence,” he said. “The goal is to work within the law & ensure criminals face justice, but when attacked, we will respond accordingly.”
DGP Yadav said security forces would send a strong message to external elements. “Did you see what happened in Amritsar?” he said at a presser in Chandigarh. “We have a zero-tolerance policy. We will teach gangsters, ISI, and its masters such a lesson that they will not dare to look at Punjab.”
According to Bhullar, ISI could be involved in the attack. He cited ISI’s alleged role in a series of similar explosions in Punjab’s border areas. Since Nov 2024, at least 12 grenade attacks have targeted police stations.