A live bomb was found on Monday a few hundred metres away from the helipad used by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar, with a bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot immediately. The official residences of the two Chief Ministers are also close to the spot where the bomb was discovered, in the fields on the Nayagaon-Kansal road.
Besides, the high-security Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Vidhan Sabha premises of the two states are also close to the place where the bomb was found.
Talking to reporters, an official of the Disaster Management Department said that the police control room received a message that a bomb-like object had been seen near the Kansal and Nayagaon T-point. “When we checked it, it was found that it’s a live shell,” he said, adding that the area has been sealed.
“It is a matter of investigation how this shell reached the spot,” the official said.
The police and the bomb disposal squad placed the shell in a drum and covered it with sandbags. The official added that the Army has been alerted. “Army officials will come and take care of it,” he added.
The official further said that discarded shells have been found in the past as well, adding that the possibility of a scrap dealer dumping it there cannot be ruled out.
Sources informed that at around 4-4:30 pm, a tubewell operator spotted the live bombshell was found in the high-security zone of Chandigarh, in the mango orchard situated in Sector 2 — which is near the helipad, and Punjab Chief Minister’s residence.
A bomb disposal team from Chandigarh police reached the spot and secured the bomb. Army officials at Western Command have been asked for help in examining the type of bomb.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was not at his residence, which is barely a kilometre away from the spot, during this time.
“It's not a case where a bomb has been planted. It's a misfired shell. We got similar shells earlier also. There is nothing to worry,” said Punjab Chief Minister's security chief AK Pandey.
The Chandigarh Administration has said that the defence forces will investigate how the shell landed there. “We are trying to find out how it reached here. Furthermore, we have secured the area with the help of the bomb squad. Now, the Army will come and take care of it,” Chandigarh Administration’s nodal officer Kuldeep Kohli told the journalists.
As per reports, a team of experts from the Army would visit the area on Tuesday morning. As of now, a team from western command visited the spot to examine the area.
A wave of panic was created amongst the people in the nearby areas. After receiving the news, a lot of people also gathered near the spot, but the police cordoned off the area after reaching the spot, and asked the public to remain at a safe distance from the spot. The locals also raised questions on the security arrangements in the city’s high security zone.
A serious matter: Warring
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday said that the live bomb found near the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was a cause of grave concern. “If those people have the audacity to place a live bomb near the CM’s residence, they can be up to anything,” warned Warring while hoping that the matter will be probed seriously and thoroughly and investigations taken to logical conclusion.
Warring said that although the area falls under the Union Territory of Chandigarh, but the way it was placed close to Punjab CM’s residence and helipad and also the Civil Secretariat is a cause of concern, which should not be taken lightly.
At the same time, Warring hoped that the security will be beefed up in Punjab’s capital city of Chandigarh and any evil should be nipped in the bud.
“We can’t let the situation deteriorate and we will fight it together,” he said, while offering his party’s full support and cooperation to the Government to fight such forces as “Congress has always believed and practiced the policy of zero tolerance to terror”.