Another Explosion Near Amritsar's Golden Temple; Bomb Squad, FSL Team At Spot

There are no reported injuries or damages so far and the police and forensic teams have reached the explosion site to collect samples for examination.

NEW DELHI: Another explosion occurred near the Golden Temple in Punjab's Amritsar district on Monday, just hours after a person was injured in a blast at the same location on Sunday night. According to news agency ANI, the second blast occurred around 6:30 AM near Saragarhi Sarai on the way to the Golden Temple. The cause of the explosion, however, is yet to be ascertained and police said they are "verifying" the cause of the incident.

 Although there were no reported injuries or damages, the police and forensic teams reached the location to collect samples for examination.

"We are verifying. The situation is normal here. Anti-sabotage, Bomb Squad, and FSL teams are here. One person has received a minor injury in the leg," Mehtab Singh, ADCP, Amritsar told reporters on reports of a blast near Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Punjab | We are verifying. The situation is normal here. Anti-sabotage, Bomb Squad, and FSL teams are here. One person has received a minor injury in the leg: Mehtab Singh, ADCP, Amritsar on reports of a blast near Golden Temple in Amritsar pic.twitter.com/KOljUw0r6T

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023

Mehtab Singh further said that one person has received a minor injury in the leg and the glass facades of some nearby buildings were damaged in the blast. "After the clarification, we can tell how it happened. The investigation is going on by our teams," he added.

News agency ANI quoted a sweeper who was present on the spot during the incident saying, "I was doing my duty when I heard a big blast sound and saw heavy smoke." On May 6, there was an explosion at the same Heritage Street near the Golden Temple around 11:15 pm in which one person was injured, according to reports.

The consecutive blasts in the same location have raised concerns about the security in the area. Heritage Street is a popular tourist destination, and the Golden Temple is a religious site of great significance for the Sikh community. The police presence has been increased in the area, and the investigation is ongoing.

Appealing to maintain peace, police officials said the situation was under control and there was no need to panic. A police official told the media the blast apparently occurred in a chimney of a restaurant.