Putlighar blast: Police still clueless about source of explosive material

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 20

The probe into the Putlighar bomb blast that claimed the lives of two persons and left several persons injured on September 23, 2019, has failed to ascertain the source of explosive material that led to the blast in the scrap dealer’s house.

Interestingly, residents of the area had blamed the police administration for the negligence that led to the blast. They had claimed that the police had got the Cantonment police station cleaned and the scrap was sold to the scrap dealer by the police.

The dealer brought the same to his residence in the congested Luv Kush colony. They alleged some explosive material such as hand grenades were also given to the scrap dealer while cleaning the scrap. The blast took the lives of two persons, identified as Rattan Lal and Rajinder Kumar, while a Punjab Home Guard jawan was also injured in the blast.

The kind of explosive material that led to the blast was never seized or used by the Punjab Police even during the period of terrorism in the state. The hand grenades confiscated by the Punjab Police in the past did not have such explosive material that led to blast in Luv Kush Nagar. —Jagmohan Singh, Former DCP, who heading the SIT

There was no scrap dealer in the house where the explosion took place. The Cantonment police station had asked its Home Guard jawan Gurnam Singh to get the scrap removed from the police station after cleaning. Gurnam Singh took along his relatives, including Rajinder Singh, and brought scrap to his (Rajinder Singh's) residence. The police are yet to fix the responsibility of cops for this gross negligence. —Aman William, Area resident

Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Singh, who heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by Police Commissioner Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill revealed that the explosive that led to the blast was never found in the custody of the Punjab Police.

“The kind of explosive material that led to the blast was never seized or used by the Punjab Police even during the period of terrorism in the state. The hand grenades confiscated by the Punjab Police in the past did not have such explosive material that led to blast in Luv Kush Nagar,” he said.

Only deceased Rajinder Singh could have told about the source from where he had brought the scrap. “As he had died, nobody knew about the source of the scrap,” he told.

DCP Jagmohan was transferred to Jalandhar two days ago. Nevertheless, the residents did not buy the claims of the police. Aman William, a resident of the area and president of the Bhartiya Moolnivasi Mukti Morcha, said there was no scrap dealer in the house where the explosion took place. He said cantonment police station had asked its Home Guard jawan Gurnam Singh to get the scrap removed from the police station after cleaning.

Gurnam Singh took along his relatives, including Rajinder Singh, and brought scrap to his (Rajinder Singh’s) residence. The police are yet to fix the responsibility of cops for this gross negligence, he alleged.