Investigation in the Bathinda twin blasts case has revealed that the 19-year-old law student, who lost his right arm in an accidental blast while assembling explosives, had been procuring chemicals for two months. The accused Gurpreet Singh told his family that the chemicals were to be used for preparing a fertiliser to enhance the crop yield.
“Gurpreet told the family that he was preparing a fertiliser that would increase crop productivity in their fields manifold,” an officer privy to the investigation told The Times of India. “While his father was not much concerned about what he was doing, his (Gurpreet’s) mother and grandmother were inquisitive to know what he was doing with the chemicals, to which he would tell them that he was preparing a fertiliser,” the officer added.
The investigation revealed that Gurpreet Singh started watching radical content of Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar, chief of the banned terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, in January this year. He began purchasing the chemicals from online sellers in June-July using his pocket money and other savings. However, he did not order these chemicals at his domestic address and instead received them at some public place, like a “government school, bus stop, or some street”. “Of at least 15 deliveries of chemicals he received, none were received at his home,” the officer added.
Gurpreet was reportedly experimenting to make “five to seven types of explosives”. Some of the chemicals have been identified by the investigators, including Lead Azide and Picric acid. “He was trying to convert the prepared solution of lead azide into powdered form by drying it up. Since lead azide is sensitive, the explosion took place due to friction as he was scraping off the paste. The blast left him unconscious, and subsequently, his right arm was amputated as he was rushed to the hospital,” the officer explained. Notably, Grupreet Singh had booked bus tickets from Bathinda to Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir for September 11. During the search of his house, the investigators found a multipocketed vest, resembling an Army training vest.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has started an investigation into the twin blasts that happened on 10th September at Jeeda village, in Bathinda, Punjab. Accused Gurpreet Singh was seriously injured when explosives he was assembling inside his house detonated. The explosion caused significant damage to the property and led to his right hand being amputated. Later in the day, when his father tried to clean the room where the incident took place, a second explosion occurred, and he sustained severe injuries. The police learned about the incident from the hospital where the accused was admitted.
