Constable injured in IED blast, admit Amritsar cops

The Punjab Police have finally broken their silence over the bomb blast that that left a constable of the bomb disposal squad critically wounded on August 10.

State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) on Wednesday released a statement regarding the incident that reportedly occurred at the SSOC office.

Senior Constable Gurpreet Singh deputed in the bomb disposal squad of Punjab Armed Police was severely injured due to a blast in the IED seized by the SSOC. Apart from the IED, the cell had confiscated two hand grenades.

As a standard procedure, it is mandatory to get such material defused. Accordingly, whenever explosives are seized, the bomb disposal squad is deployed to safely neutralise these, the statement read.

Sharing details, it said the bomb disposal squad of the PAP was called to the SSOC, Amritsar, to defuse the explosives as part of the standard procedure on August 10. The material was then packed in separate containers as a standard procedure, the police said.

After packing it, Gurpreet Singh was carrying it away from the other material, when a low-intensity explosion occurred, resulting in severe injuries on his face, hands and legs. He was taken to a private hospital where he was administered first aid and shifted to the ICU facility at another hospital.

Two days later, after the completion of plastic surgery procedure, he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, for advanced treatment of his eyes. He is currently under treatment there.

The authorities said his all medical expenses were being borne by the Police Department. All entitlements due from the department were also being ensured for the injured personnel, they added.

The police said an analysis was being conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the explosion, with the objective of identifying any technical or procedural gaps.