Grenade attack

Union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the chief minister and assured “strong action” against those responsible for the attack.

“I am very pained by the news about the attack in Amritsar. It cannot be condemned enough. I convey my deep condolences to the families of the deceased,” Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in a Facebook post in Hindi.

The attack on the gathering of the Nirankari sect, whose members are considered heretics by some Sikh traditionalists, sounded a fresh alarm across the border state ahead of Friday’s birthday celebrations of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru.

The Nirankari sect, with headquarters in Delhi, has millions of followers across the country and abroad. Delhi Police declared a high alert after the grenade attack, and security around a Nirankari establishment in north Delhi’s Burari was stepped up. “Being the national capital, Delhi remains on alert throughout the year. We have, however, intensified our security apparatus to ensure no untoward incidents take place in the city...,” Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Verma said.

Initial investigations into Sunday’s attack found that two men — their faces covered — forced their way into the building by brandishing a pistol, CM Singh said. One of them overpowered the guard at the gate and lobbed the grenade into the prayer room. Then, they fled on their motorcycle. Sukhdev Kumar, 58, a preacher of the sect’s Rajasansi unit; Kuldeep Singh, 40, and San-