Golden Temple receives another bomb threat; Mann says agencies fully alert

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday received another email threatening to blow up the Golden Temple, the sixth such communication since July 14.

This time, the email was sent to Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar with a copy to the apex gurdwara body.

Though the police denied receiving the email, an SGPC official confirmed it.

Meanwhile, CM Bhagwant Mann held a meeting with senior police officers.

In message on his social media handle, Mann said, “We will not allow any compromise on the security of Punjab. Our security agencies and the Punjab Police are fully alert. I appeal to the people of Punjab to be cautious of rumours. Religious places of all religions are sacred for us. We are fully committed to their security. Anti-national and anti-social forces will be dealt with utmost strictness.”

‘Deploy central forces’

Amritsar Lok Sabha MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla sought permanent deployment of central forces around the shrine. He shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his intervention.

Reacting to it, Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora said, “The Punjab Police were quite capable of securing the state, its people and the Golden Temple.”

Meanwhile, senior police officers led by the Police Commissioner and AAP MLAs Inderbir Singh Nijjar and Ajay Gupta held a meeting with SGPC officials. After the meeting, Nijjar said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was keeping a tab on each and every development.

‘Got vital clues’

Bhullar said, “We have got vital leads in the case and police teams have been dispatched out of the state for further investigations.” He said a subsidiary firm of a USA-based software company was used to send emails.

Reacting to the development, Golden Temple head granthi Giani Raghbir Singh said the police had been “clueless” in the case so far.

Cong seeks swift action

Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa sought swift action by central and state security agencies to identify and nab the culprits. State party chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also expressed concern over it.