Patna: Police have arrested four men from Punjab after discovering firearms and ammunition in a guest house belonging to Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib Gurudwara in Patna Sahib. Three foreign-made pistols, magazines, and five empty cartridges were recovered during raids on rooms 305 and 306 of Johri Niwas, a guest house within the complex.
The detained individuals have been identified as Jaskaran Singh, Sardar Vijay Singh, Sardar Mani Singh, and Aman Singh. Sources indicated that all four are associated with ChardiKla/Janhit Channel, a private media outlet that had long-term use of the rooms where the weapons were found.
Authorities are investigating how the men were able to bring firearms into the Gurudwara despite mandatory metal detector checks. Police have also taken into custody three other youths from Punjab who are linked to broadcasting programmes from the Gurudwara, citing them as persons of interest.
The incident comes days after the Gurudwara received an email threatening to detonate explosives at the site. Following that threat, police and the bomb disposal squad conducted a thorough search of the entire premises. Security concerns are further heightened by the unsolved murder of the Gurudwara’s head granthi, Rajendra Singh, four years ago.
Takht Shri Harmandir Sahib is a major Sikh pilgrimage site in Bihar, attracting thousands of devotees and VIP visitors each year, including the President and Prime Minister of India. The Gurudwara complex reportedly contains more than 1,000 rooms, underscoring the challenges of maintaining security.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma confirmed that the weapons belonged to Jaskaran Preet Singh from Punjab, who is being questioned. He added that further action would be taken if additional involvement is established.
