Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau.
Punjab was rocked by two blasts on Tuesday night, just hours and about 90 kilometres apart, triggering an alarm in the state.
A blast occurred outside the Punjab Frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) at the mouth of the main city in Jalandhar, in an area which is called BSF Chowk. Just hours after that, another blast rocked near the army cantonment, this time 90 kilometres away in Amritsar, sending security agencies, already on their toes after the Jalandhar incident, into a frenzy.
Blast in a two-wheeler in JalandharThe blast outside BSF’s Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar happened on Tuesday evening in a two-wheeler parked on the roadside. The authorities cordoned off the whole area as senior police officials rushed to the spot.
The impact of the blast could be gauged from the fact that the mangled remains of the vehicle were scattered near the scene.
While the Jalandhar Commissioner of police Dhanpreet Kaur Randhawa said that prima facie, there was no foul play, the Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) took responsibility for the blast through a social media post.
The outfit claimed that the explosion was part of revenge for the encounter of the main accused in the killing of two security personnel in Gurdaspur’s Dorangla near the Indo-Pak border. HT couldn’t verify the veracity of the social media post.
We have roped in teams of BSF, who are working with our forensic experts to know the exact reason behind the blast. The owner of the two-wheeler is being questioned,” Jalandhar CP Randhawa said. She added that the thorough investigation is underway.
Just hours after an explosion outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar, another blast-like incident was reported in Amritsar late at night.
The incident occurred near the boundary wall of the Army cantonment along Khasa Road. The impact damaged a tin sheet installed on the wall, reportedly used to block visibility from outside.
Amritsar Rural SSP Sohail Qasim Mir confirmed the blast and said that they received information about a loud noise in the area around 11:15 PM. Police teams were immediately dispatched to the location.
Sri Amritsar Sahib is not only an important border area but also a major destination for thousands of tourists from India and abroad. An incident of this nature occurring near security agencies in such a sensitive region is a matter of grave concern for the national security system as well. The AAP government has so far failed to ensure the safety of the people of Punjab and has instead pushed the state into an environment of fear and insecurity. This is also negatively impacting the state’s economy, investment, and tourism. I request the Hon’ble Union Home Minister to immediately intervene in this matter and order a high-level and transparent investigation, ensuring that those responsible are given strict punishment as per the law. At the same time, it is extremely necessary to take effective and immediate steps to further strengthen security arrangements in the border state of Punjab,” he said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former state minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia has gone one step further than Aujla, urging the President of India to intervene in the matter.
