Twin blasts hit security agencies in Punjab
Two incidents of explosions targeting security establishments in Punjab were reported on Tuesday night, sparking panic across the State. The first blast occurred around 8 pm outside the Brigade Headquarters of the Border Security Force’s Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar. The explosion ripped apart a scooter parked near the gate, damaged a traffic signal and shattered the windowpanes of a nearby shop.
The little-known Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) claimed responsibility for the Jalandhar blast via a poster and threatened more attacks. Security agencies are verifying the claim. Punjab Police are also investigating a possible link to a Pakistani gangster in the Jalandhar case. The scooter, which belonged a local parcel delivery worker, caught fire shortly after the blast. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur and said the delivery worker was fully cooperating with investigators.
The second blast took place around 11 pm near the army cantonment in Khasa, Amritsar. Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar (Rural), Suhail Mir Qasim, said they received reports of a loud explosion on a road adjacent to the boundary wall.
Preliminary investigations revealed that an explosive device had been thrown towards the wall, causing a piece of the tin-sheet cladding to fall. No one was injured.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav visited the site described the Amritsar explosion as low-intensity and said no group had claimed responsibility for it. However, he pointed a finger at Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). “We assume that, as today is the Operation Sindoor anniversary, this is part of Pakistan’s ISI designs to cause disruptions in Punjab,” DGP Yadav said and added that “Punjab is fighting a proxy war on behalf of the nation against Pakistan.”
As the information about the blasts was relayed, forensic experts and the bomb disposal squad were rushed to the spot to collect samples. Amritsar (Rural) Superintendent of Police Aditya S Warrier visited the site with a team of police officials. The area was immediately cordoned off. CCTV footages were secured. Meanwhile, sources said there was a possibility of hand grenades being used for triggering blasts in both cases.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) joined the probe within hours with teams en route to secure forensic evidence, review CCTV and assist state police.
The incidents come barely ten days after an explosion on April 27 on the freight corridor rail track at Shambhu in Patiala district. In that case, police arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module allegedly backed by Pakistan’s ISI.
The module was allegedly directed by handlers based in Malaysia with direct links to Pakistan’s notorious spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and aimed to carry out multiple strikes on public infrastructure across Punjab to spread panic and stall development.
All four arrested accused were described as habitual offenders with multiple criminal cases against them. Several police teams are probing the twin blasts in close coordination with the central agencies. Previous incidents are also being revisited to identify the modules and their handlers sitting across the border, sources said.
