Germany sets up panel to probe gurdwara blast

Berlin, April 18

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A special commission has been set up to probe the bomb blast at a Germany gurdwara as the authorities in the western city of Essen assured India that all steps would be taken to ensure security of all minorities, including the Sikhs.

Indian Consul General in Frankfurt Raveesh Kumar, who rushed to the Nanaksar Satsang Darbar Gurdwara following the attack, was apprised of the current level of investigation and the situation during meetings with Essen’s Mayor Thomas Kufen and Police Commissioner Frank Richter yesterday.

“We (police department) have set up a commission of inquiry and are thoroughly probing. The security at religious institutions will be beefed up,” Richter told Kumar, who visited the Sikh community to show solidarity besides holding talks with the authorities.

The explosion ripped through the entrance hall of the gurdwara on Saturday evening during a wedding ceremony and severely damaged part of the building housing the gurdwara besides shattering several windowpanes and injuring three persons, including the Sikh priest or “granthi”.

India had expressed “distress” at what is being deemed as a deliberate act.

The police in Essen said in a statement that they were focusing their investigation on the possibility that the explosive device was planted inside the foyer of the gurdwara or lobbed into it from outside. They are searching for a masked man dressed in black, who was seen by eyewitnesses fleeing the area soon after the detonation.

The police said so far they had no indication that the attack on the gurdwara was racially motivated or whether it has any terrorist background.

Three occupants of a car parked near the gurdwara, who were taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the explosion, were set free after questioning on Saturday night.

The mayor assured Kumar that the city administration, the police and the state prosecutor’s office would take all necessary measures to ensure that the Sikh community could feel secure, the city of Essen and the police commissioner’s office said in a joint statement.

“Religious freedom is guaranteed in the German society and any form of violence against religious minorities will be totally unacceptable,” Kufen said.

Richter said the police so far had no indications of a terrorist background, “but we are investigating in all directions and thereby we are working closely with the Indian authorities”.

Kumar and Kufen jointly visited the Sikh community after their discussions and the mayor conveyed his solidarity and the city’s support to protect them, the statement said.

Ambassador of India to Germany Gurjit Singh tweeted: “The mayor and the police chief of Essen promise full investigation into the incident.”

The Ambassador also said granthi Kuldeep Singh, who suffered deep cuts after the pane of glass fell on him due to the impact, was recovering.

The other two men who suffered minor injuries have been discharged from the Essen hospital. — PTI

Harsimrat to call on PM

Bathinda: Expressing anguish over the bomb attack on a German gurdwara, Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday said she would soon raise the issue of security of gurdwaras with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Talking to mediapersons here after a sangat darshan programme, Harsimrat said the Essen incident was unfortunate and condemnable.  TNS

DSGMC demands thorough probe

New Delhi: Demanding a thorough investigation into the bomb blast case, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh GK on Monday wrote a letter to Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel over the attack on Gurdwara Nanaksar. “I want to assure you and the people living in Germany, Sikhs always aspire and strive for welfare and prosperity of the nation wherever they are living. We request your office to direct the appropriate authority to conduct a foolproof investigation and take justified action at the earliest in order to restore the confidence and safety of Sikhs living in Germany,” Manjit Singh said in the letter. TNS