Sikh holy site in India hit by second blast in 36 hours

Two explosions occurred within 36 hours near the Golden Temple, a revered Sikh holy site in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, causing panic and leaving one person injured. The previous blast on Saturday night also injured at least one person. Punjab’s Director General of Police said that a terrorism angle has not been ruled out, and preliminary investigations suggest that crude devices were used in both explosions. Devotees who visit the temple daily expressed concern and urged the police to act swiftly and present the truth before the public. The Golden Temple has been the scene of violence in the past, most notably in 1984 when Indian special forces stormed it to remove Sikh militants.

The shrine, a gleaming edifice in a large artificial pond, is revered by Sikhs around the world. The temple attracts approximately 200,000 visitors on a typical day, and the explosions have created fear among devotees and the local community. Officials arrived shortly after the second blast to collect forensic samples, and investigations are ongoing.

In March, a manhunt was launched in Punjab to arrest Amritpal Singh, a firebrand Sikh separatist who sparked protests and vandalism among the diaspora by calling for a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan. It remains unclear if the latest blasts are linked to the arrest of Singh. Thousands of officers were deployed in the northern state, and mobile internet was cut off for days in the effort to locate the suspect, who was eventually arrested. The struggle for Khalistan sparked deadly violence in India in the 1980s and 1990s.