Golden Temple: Attacker used iron rod to assault sewadars, devotees near community kitchen | What we know so far

A man was arrested for attacking five people on the premises of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Friday. The condition of one person is said to be serious after suffering injuries in the attack using an iron rod.

People had gathered to celebrate the New Nanakshahi Year on Friday when the incident took place. The injured devotees hailed from Mohali, Bathinda, and Patiala, while the other two victims were sewadars, media reports said. 

According to reports, the accused, who hailed from Shadipur in Haryana's  Yamunanagar, attacked the devotees inside the oldest Guru Ram Das inn near the community kitchen. He was accompanied by another man who reportedly brought him to the Golden Temple, Indian Express said in a report. The accomplice has also been arrested by the Punjab Police.

According to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) responsible for the management of the Golden Temple, the man suddenly picked up a rod and started hitting people around 12:00 pm. He targeted people indiscriminately, hitting devotees and Sewadars alike. The devotee who suffered serious injuries in the incident is said to be a youngster. He is undergoing treatment in the emergency wing of Amritsa's Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, the daily said.

The CCTV visuals helped to identify the accused and his accomplice following the incident. The Punjab Police also recovered visuals of him with the rod used for the attack on the second floor of Guru Ramdas Sarai, Times Of India (TOI) said in a report. The attack began when one of the injured sewadars challenged his presence on the second floor and asked him to come down. When his pleas got no response, the attendant climbed the stairs only to be struck with the rod, the report said. 

The mayhem came to an end when more sewadars managed to apprehend the Haryana native near the Sangat, the report said. By then, he had injured five people and the furious sewadars beat him up badly before handing him over to the police.