Suspected terrorist killed in Amritsar blast while handling explosives

A suspected terrorist died in a blast while retrieving explosive material from a vacant area near Naushera on the Majitha road bypass in Punjabs Amritsar on Tuesday police saidThe incident comes in the backdrop of arrests of several members of proKhalistan terror outfits following a series of grenade attacks with the police suspecting that Pakistanbacked terror outfits were trying to create disturbance in the border statePunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said a probe is underway while the opposition party slammed the AAP government alleging the law and order has collapsed in the state The police said both arms of the man were blown off in the explosion which took place around 930 AM Locals reported hearing a loud blast which triggered panic in the areaDeputy Inspector General Border Range Satinder Singh said the man is suspected to have links with some terror organisation like Babbar Khalsa International BKI He came here to retrieve the explosive material The explosive material was in his hands when the blast took place Singh told reporters in AmritsarWe are investigating his identity and the terror organisation he belonged to he saidReplying to a question the DIG said the man was yet to be identifiedAs per circumstantial evidence it is clear that this man was a member of some terrorist organisation Singh said adding police got some vital clues from the mans pocket which indicated his links with some terror outfitA team from the Forensic Science Laboratory is investigating to find out whether it was an IED improvised explosive device blast or grenade blastThe DIG appealed to people not to panic saying we will soon solve this case Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said there are some agencies that are trying to create disturbance in the state He however said the administration was dealing with such cases strictly Reacting to the incident Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring expressed grave concern over the security situation in the stateHe said it was an ominous sign and people were feeling scared and apprehensive about itWe dont want to press the panic buttons but the situation in Punjab is turning alarming day by day he said while pointing out when our senior colleague and Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa had flagged the issue Punjab government slapped an FIR on him Warring urged Chief Minister Mann to take the matter seriouslyWhile assuring his partys full support and cooperation to the government to deal with this situation he said We have to fight against it together Punjab cannot afford another dark era of terror These are ominous signs But the onus lies on the chief minister to take the lead and set his priorities right he remarked BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh lambasted the AAP government for its utter failure in maintaining law and order in PunjabExpressing serious concern over the incident Chugh said This horrifying incident is not an isolated one It reflects the complete collapse of the states internal security under AAPs misgovernanceHe demanded that the National Investigation Agency should take over the probe to expose the broader terror nexus operating in PunjabThere has been a series of grenade attacks targeting police stations and religious places yet the AAP government continues to remain a mute spectator he alleged Citing the grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar Chugh claimed that terrorist activities have been gaining alarming momentumShiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia visited the area where the blast took place and lashed out at the AAP government alleging that the law and order situation has collapsed in the state He also cited an incident of the murder of an Akali councillorThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params