NEW DELHI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Indian police Monday said a suspect in a recent grenade attack on a Hindu temple in the northern Indian state of Punjab was killed in an exchange of fire with policemen.

However, his accomplice managed to escape during the stand-off.

The exchange of fire between the suspect and police took place in Rajasansi town near Amritsar, the Sikh holy city in Punjab.

"Following the attack on the temple in Amritsar on March 15, we formed multiple police teams and they immediately identified the suspects," Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told media.

"This morning during a chase these people were asked to stop. However, one of the suspects fired upon our police party using a pistol and fired five rounds. A head constable was wounded after being hit in his arm. Another bullet hit the turban of one of our officers and he was luckily left unhurt. A third bullet hit a police vehicle," Singh said.

"Acting in self-defense, the police party fired back upon the suspect wounding him badly. Both injured policemen and the suspect were later removed to the civil hospital, where the suspect succumbed to his wounds. The policeman is undergoing treatment."

Singh said the other accused fled from the spot but their efforts to trace him were underway.

On Saturday, a grenade attack was carried out on a Hindu temple in Khandwala area of Amritsar. The attack damaged the walls of the temple and shattered its window panes. However, no loss of life or injuries were reported in the attack.

Visuals of the attack captured on closed-circuit television cameras showed two unidentified people coming to the Thakur Dwar temple on a motorcycle. After waiting for a few seconds outside it, one of them hurled something towards the temple, and then they fled from the spot on their motorcycle. Within no time, the explosion took place, emitting shrapnel.

The attack triggered panic among residents in the area. Enditem

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