Two persons have been arrested in connection with a blast at BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's residence in Jalandhar, said a senior police officer on Tuesday.
An e-rickshaw used in the crime has also been recovered, said Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla while addressing the media here.
He said Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had hatched a conspiracy to create communal tension in Punjab and police have foiled it by taking immediate action in the matter.
Shukla said police cracked the case within 12 hours of the incident.
"It was a major conspiracy of Pakistan's ISI. Zeeshan Akhtar, who is an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and (Pakistani gangster) Shahzad Bhatti, they had hatched this conspiracy," said Shukla.
He further said the conspiracy was hatched by Bishnoi's associate Zeeshan, ISI and gangster Bhatti. "Their role has come to the fore," he said.
An investigation into the possible links of the Babbar Khalsa International is also underway, said Shukla.
Two persons have been arrested in this case, he said, adding that the e-rickshaw has also been recovered. He further said the Punjab Police was also in touch with central agencies in this regard.
Punjab Police teams are conducting raids at different places, he further said.
Asked about details of the accused, he said, "we will soon come out with more details." He refused to share more details, including their names, arguing that it will hamper the investigation.
Asked whether Zeeshan was the same person who was involved in the Bada Siddiqui murder case, he said, "Yes, you are right."
Shukla also denied any intelligence failure.
A blast at Punjab BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's residence in Jalandhar early Tuesday damaged an aluminum partition, shattered glass windows of his home, his SUV and a motorcycle in the courtyard. No one was hurt, police said.
Kalia, a former Cabinet minister and former president of Punjab BJP, was at home when the explosion took place. He is also a member of the BJP's national executive.
There have been many incidents of explosions, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months but this is the first such incident when the house of a prominent politician was targeted.
