Armed with iron rod, man attacks devotees inside Golden Temple of Amritsar; 5 wounded

At least five persons were wounded after a man attacked devotees inside the Golden Temple of Amritsar in Punjab with an iron rod. Of the five, one person was seriously injured and admitted to the ICU of Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences & Research at Vallah.

According to an Indian Express report, the incident happened around noon on Friday, March 14, when Sikh devotees had gathered at Golden Temple on the occasion of new Nanakshahi year.

As they were paying their respects, the accused carrying an iron rod started attacking the people, injuring five.

The other wounded include sewadars (attendants) and devotees. The assailant was identified as Zulfan and was handed over to the police later.

According to the police, his aide had done recce of the Golden Temple and had even accompanied the prime accused to the spiritual site. “The second accused allegedly conducted recce along with the one who attacked devotees,” the police said.

Kotwali SHO Sarmel Singh said, "Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has handed over a person named Zulfan to the police. There was a clash inside the Golden Temple premises, and people of both sides suffered injuries. The workers of SGPC have also been injured. Action will be taken according to law."

Speaking with reporters, Dr Jasmeet Singh who is attending to the injured said, “As per the statements given to us by the patients, an unknown assailant assaulted the victims with a rod. Five patients were sent to us, out of which one is serious and is in the ICU. The other four are in stable condition.”