BKI claims responsibility for grenade attack on Gumtala police chowki

Though the police denied any blast due to explosive material outside the Gumtala police chowki on Thursday, the US-based terrorist and an operative of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, claimed on social media that his aides had lobbed a hand grenade on the police establishment.

Passia threatened to launch more such attacks on the police establishments and their family members. Yesterday’s blast was to avenge the fake encounter of my two associates recently, wrote Passia on the BKI social media handle.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said it was an explosion in the radiator of a car belonging to ASI Tejinder Singh, who’s posted at the Gumtala chowki.

“We cannot authenticate what someone claimed on social media. We will bring out the truth and are open to probe the matter from every possible angle,” said Bhullar, adding that had it been a grenade blast, it would have damaged car severely, which was not the case. Only radiator and windshield suffered damaged, he said.

So far, no forensic team has arrived at the spot to collect evidence. However, the police teams were carrying out the raids in the neighbouring districts and analysing CCTV footage. This is the fifth such incident in Amritsar district and ninth attack on the police establishments in the past month and a half.

In the earlier incidents as well, the police attributed the explosions to some weird reasons, including tyre burst. However, Passia or some other members of the terror module claimed the responsibility on social media.

Later, DGP Gaurav Yadav announced the arrest of those involved in these blasts.