Amritsar temple grenade attack: NIA searches 19 locations in border districts of Punjab

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted searches at 19 locations across Punjab in connection with the terror grenade attack on a temple in Amritsar in March this year.

The NIA teams seized several incriminating materials, including mobiles/digital devices, during the searches carried out in the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Batala.

On the night of March 14, terrorists, backed by foreign-based handlers, had hurled a grenade at Thakur Dwara Sanatan Temple, Sher Shah Road, Amritsar. The incident was one of the many recent grenade attacks carried out by operatives of different terror groups in Punjab, on the directions of their handlers based abroad.

During investigation in the case, NIA found that the attack was carried out by accused Gursidak Singh (now deceased) and Vishal Gill.

Gursidak Singh was in contact with foreign-based handlers, who recruited India-based individuals and conspired to spread terror among the people by providing grenades/explosives and funds.

The handlers radicalised vulnerable youth and induced them to unleash terror in lieu of money and drugs.

Gursidak Singh and Vishal Gill were involved in multiple instances of picking and dropping of grenades and weapons as per the NIA investigations, which are ongoing.