Amritsar (Punjab) [India]: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday condemned recent attempts to disrupt peace in the state following a blast at the Thakurdwara Temple in Khandwala, Amritsar, late last night.
Mann highlighted ongoing efforts to portray Punjab as a disturbed state.
“There are always many attempts to disturb the peace in Punjab. Drugs, gangsters, and extortion are part of it, and there are attempts to show that Punjab has become a disturbed state… During the festival of Holi, in other states, the police had to use a lathi charge during processions. But such things do not happen in Punjab… The law and order situation in Punjab is good,” Mann stated.
The blast occurred after two bike-borne men lobbed an object, suspected to be an explosive, at the temple. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Amritsar Commissioner GPS Bhullar confirmed that authorities are actively investigating the incident.
“We got information at 2 a.m. We reached the spot right away. The forensic team was called… We checked the CCTV and spoke to the nearby people. The thing is that Pakistan’s ISI lures our youth into creating disturbances in Punjab. We will trace this case within days and take appropriate action. I warn the youth not to ruin their lives… We will catch the culprits soon…,” Bhullar stated.
Moga Firing Incident
In a separate case, a joint operation by CIA Moga and CIA Malout resulted in an exchange of fire while attempting to arrest suspects involved in the murder of Mangat Ram, a Shiv Sena member from Moga.
Mangat Ram was killed in a firing incident on March 13.
According to a press note, “During an attempt to arrest the accused in FIR No. 64/2025 under Sections 103(1), 191(3), 190 BNS, and 25/27 Arms Act registered at PS City South, Moga, regarding the murder of Mangat Ram (Shiv Sena Moga), a joint operation was conducted by CIA Moga and CIA Malout.”
The police had tracked the suspects to a hideout in Angadpura Mohalla, Moga. The accused — identified as Arun alias Deepu (son of Gurpreet Singh), Arun alias Singha (son of Babbu Singh), and Rajveer alias Laddo (son of Ashok Kumar) — opened fire on the police team during the attempted arrest.
Reports indicate that two bullets were fired from a 0.32 pistol and three from a 0.30 pistol. The police responded in self-defense, firing three rounds from a 9mm pistol and one round from a 0.32 pistol.
As a result, Arun sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg, Singha was shot in his right leg, and Rajveer was injured while trying to flee. All three were taken to Civil Hospital in Malout for treatment.
Moga SP confirmed that an FIR was registered based on Mangat Ram’s wife’s statement, naming six accused in total.
“First, the firing took place in a saloon, injuring one person. Then they started chasing Manga Ram while firing… They fired shots on the street near the stadium, killing Manga Ram… Further investigation is underway… A total of 4-5 shots were fired,” the SP stated.
The investigation into both incidents is ongoing.