Man killed in blast while retrieving explosive, police suspect ‘ISI angle’

Some locals who heard the explosion rushed to the spot and informed the police following which officials from Sadar police station and the bomb disposal squad reached the site.

Police later identified the victim as Nitin Kumar (23), a resident of Vikas Nagar in the Chheharta area of Amritsar. He worked as an auto-rickshaw driver.

Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh said that so far, no criminal record of Nitin has been found.

Nitin’s family, meanwhile, told the Indian Express said that he was undergoing medical treatment for drug addiction and had left home early in the morning to get his daily medication from the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) Centre near Ghala Mala Chowk in Amritsar. His father Rakesh Kumar, also an auto-rickshaw driver, said the family had no idea what led to the incident.

“Nitin had no phone. He was an addict and used to get medication from the OOAT centre. He had left home to get the medication. We don’t know how he reached there,” said the father.

The family lives in a rented house that they share with another family. Nitin’s mother works as domestic help.

Earlier, DIG Singh had said that ‟as per circumstantial evidence, it is clear that this man was a member of some terrorist organisation”. DIG had cited some vital clues that the police had retrieved from the man’s pocket which indicated his ‟links with some terror outfit such as like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)”.

A team of Forensic Science Laboratory is investigating to find out whether it was an IED (improvised explosive device) blast or grenade blast.

Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh said Nitin was retrieving the explosive material when the blast happened, possibly due to mishandling.

“The explosives had probably landed from Pakistan. It possibly has an ISI angle,” SSP said, adding the area has since been cordoned off and security increased.

The incident quickly started a political blame game with Opposition parties alleging a complete law and order collapse in state even as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said a probe is underway.

Mann, who was in Mohali, told reporters that anyone found guilty in the heinous crime will not be spared and exemplary action will be taken against them as per the law of land. ‟No one will be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace of the state,” he added.

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said there are some agencies that are trying to create disturbance in the state but the ‟administration was dealing with such cases strictly”.

Referring to the blast as ‟an ominous sign”, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said people were feeling scared.

“We don’t want to press the panic buttons, but the situation in Punjab is turning alarming day by day”, he said. The PCC president pointed out that when his senior colleague and Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa had flagged the issue, Punjab government slapped an FIR on him.

Warring urged Mann to take the matter seriously and assured his party’s full support and cooperation to the government to deal with this situation. ‟Punjab cannot afford another dark era of terror. These are ominous signs,” he added.

State Congress working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu said the blast in Amritsar was only one in a series of such incidents. He said, earlier also there have been grenade attacks on police stations and a temple and such incidents have ‟shaken the confidence of people and they fear the return of the dark days of terrorism”. Ashu, also the party candidate for Ludhiana West Assembly bypoll, said the

AAP government has failed to ensure the safety and security of people in the state.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh too lambasted the AAP government for its “utter failure” in maintaining law and order.

“This horrifying incident is not an isolated one. It reflects the complete collapse of the state’s internal security under AAP’s misgovernance,” said Chugh and demanded that the National Investigation Agency take over the probe to expose the broader terror nexus operating in Punjab.

“There has been a series of grenade attacks targeting police stations and religious places, yet the AAP government continues to remain a mute spectator,” he alleged.

Citing the grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar, Chugh claimed that “terrorist activities have been gaining alarming momentum”.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia visited the area where the blast took place and lashed out at the AAP government, alleging that the law and order situation has “collapsed” in the state. He also cited an incident of the murder of an Akali councillor.