Punjab: Court sends youth to 7-day police remand in Bathinda twin blasts case

Chandigarh, Sep 18 (PTI) A 19-year-old youth from a village in Bathinda, arrested in connection with twin blasts at his home, was sent to seven days of police remand by a local court on Thursday.

Gurpreet Singh, a law student from Jeeda village who used to watch radicalised content online, was injured on September 10 when he was assembling some combustible chemical material in his home.

Gurpreet was arrested on Wednesday after he was discharged from AIIMS Bathinda.

He was produced on Thursday before the court in Bathinda which sent him to a 7-day police remand.

Gurpreet had sustained injuries after he was assembling some combustible chemical material on September 10. Later, during that day, when his father returned and was clearing up the chemicals, it led to another explosion, leaving him injured too.

The youth used to watch radicalised content online and videos pertaining to chemical combinations of explosive material. He had ordered some combustible substances online, police had earlier said.

Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amneet Kondal on Thursday said a bomb disposal team of the Army will also inspect the crime scene.

Replying to a question, Kondal said Gurpreet had booked a bus ticket from Bathinda to Kathua in Jammu. The Kathua Deputy Superintendent of Police had also questioned him in Bathinda.

During questioning, he had told investigators that he bought a vest with multiple pockets and some chemicals online, said the SSP.

Asked about any human bomb angle in the case, the SSP said he was indoctrinated to do such a thing. "If you relate it to a human bomb...otherwise he could not actualize it and could not make the bomb. Yes, he had such thoughts in his mind," said Kondal.

Asked about any Pakistan connection of this case, she said till now, no such connection came to the fore.

A team of NIA and Intelligence Bureau had visited Bathinda in connection with this case, she said.

To a query on financial transactions in his bank account, she said nothing suspicious has been found.

"During his remand, we will question him about content in his mobile," Kondal said.

To a question about his injuries, the SSP said his right hand has been amputated and he has stitches in one of his legs.

During the preliminary probe, it has come to fore that Gurpreet used to spend a lot of time on his mobile phone watching radicalised content. PTI CHS KVK KVK