Two unidentified men hurled an explosive at the Thakur Dwara temple on the Shershah Suri Road in the Khandwala area of Amritsar on Saturday (15th March). CCTV footage of the incident showed two masked men arriving near the temple on a bike carrying a flag. They waited for a few seconds before one of them got down and hurled an explosive, apparently a grenade, at the temple at around 12:45 am, after which they fled.
VIDEO | Punjab: A blast was reported on Thakur Sher Shah Suri Road in Amritsar earlier this morning. More details awaited.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 15, 2025
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos- https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/IgT2VjUsRb
No injury was reported due to the explosion, but a wall of the temple and the window panes were shattered. ACP (West) Shiv Darshan Singh informed that a forensic team was called to the scene which collected the samples from the spot.
#WATCH | 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. No injuries reported. Police personnel present at the spot to carry out an investigation. Details… pic.twitter.com/mH92RqOm1L
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2025
The temple priest informed the police about the incident. Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI misleads the youth of Punjab by luring them and making them commit such crimes. He assured that the culprits will be caught soon. “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. We will trace this case within days and take appropriate action. I warn the youth not to ruin their lives… We will catch the culprits soon…,” said Bhullar.
#WATCH | Punjab: Amritsar Commissioner GPS Bhullar says, "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… https://t.co/RVVHuy2IGr pic.twitter.com/ybdo5gcXMp
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2025
Condemning the incident, Union Minister of State of Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu shared the CCTV footage on X and wrote, “I strongly condemn bomb attack on Thakur Dwara temple, Khandwala in Amritsar. AAP government fails to check repeated incidents of blasts in the border city. Deteriorating law and order in Punjab is a matter of serious concern.
I strongly condemn bomb attack on Thakur Dwara temple, Khandwala in Amritsar. AAP government fails to check repeated incidents of blasts in border city. Deteriorating law and order in Punjab is matter of serious concern.@ANI @PTI_News @CNNnews18 pic.twitter.com/caQtjnMCrn
— Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) March 15, 2025
Commenting on the incident, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that Pakistan was behind such incidents taking place in Punjab. “Efforts are made from time to time to disturb Punjab by some mischievous elements. Even drugs are part of it. The Moga incident was also cracked by the police. Punjab Police is proactive and has been provided with the latest equipment, so Punjab is fine as far as law and order is concerned,” said Mann. “Pakistan is regularly pushing drones, so they keep doing such things. Why would they want Punjab to be at peace?” he added.
Kirandeep Singh Monu, a local Shiromani Akali Dal leader and advocate, said that the temple is 25 years old. He said that the temple priest and his family were sleeping in the temple premises at the time of the explosion. “At around 12 am, two people came on a bike, stopped outside the Thakur Dwara Mandir, conducted a recce and threw a grenade at the temple. The blast was so powerful that it also affected the nearby buildings, breaking their windows and all. The police later reached the spot. As per the evidence, this was a grenade attack,” he added.
