Chandigarh: An explosion in a residential colony on the Majitha Road Bypass in Punjab’s Amritsar city on Tuesday killed a man who was there to collect a “consignment”.
The police are probing a terror angle and suspect the man of being linked to a terrorist organisation.
The incident took place near Decent Avenue Colony on the Majitha Road Bypass.
Eyewitnesses heard a loud sound of the blast. As locals rushed to the spot and informed the police, officials from Sadar police station and a bomb disposal squad reached the spot.
The man who was killed in the explosion has yet to be identified.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Satinder Singh said, “The person who was injured is a member of a terrorist organisation, and he had come to retrieve the explosive consignment. We have received a lot of clues. Further investigation is underway. Babbar Khalsa and the ISI are active in Punjab and most likely, he is a member of Babbar Khalsa.”
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory was at the spot to collect samples of the explosive, he said.
According to media reports, the man’s arms were blown off in the blast.
Initially treated as a case of mishandling explosive material, officials are probing a terror angle too. However, the police are suspecting that the man, believed to be a scrap dealer, might have been attempting to dismantle an old bomb found among metal waste, which exploded during the process.
The injured man was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Amritsar Rural) Maninder Singh said the man was retrieving some explosive material when the blast occurred, possibly due to mishandling. However, he said the man might be linked to a terror outfit.
As the probe continued, panic gripped the area.
(IANS)
