2nd blast in Amritsar in 2 days; locals call for indepth probe

Amritsar: Two days after a blast happened near the Golden Temple of Amritsar, another explosion took place next to the spot on Monday morning, PTI reported citing a police account.

So far, no reports of damage or injuries have been received, and the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, police informed.

According to police, the new blast occurred near the same location on the heritage street that leads to the Golden Temple, where the Saturday, May 6, explosion happened.

An eyewitness informed the new explosion was heard around 6:30 am. Police and forensic teams reached the spot soon after and started collecting samples for investigation.

Locals called for a thorough probe into the two explosions.

Locals demanded a thorough investigation into the two explosions. A daily visitor to the Golden Temple for the last 20 years, Jasbir Singh Patti said that the two incidents had caused panic among devotees and authorities must probe them thoroughly.

The Saturday blast at a restaurant on Heritage Street, close to the Golden Temple, the holiest city in Punjab, resulted in numerous injuries. However, according to the authorities, it was an accident rather than a terror attack.

On Saturday night, a blast occurred along popular Heritage Street close to Darbar Sahib, causing panic. Numerous pilgrims and locals in the area assumed the explosion was a terrorist act.

Appealing to maintain peace, police officials had said that the situation was under control and there was no need to panic.

A police official told the media the blast occurred in a chimney of a restaurant. Forensic teams were investigating. Only window panes of the nearby buildings were shattered, and there was no damage to the buildings.