Chandigarh: Two back-to-back explosions near security establishments shook Punjab on Tuesday night, triggering panic and drawing condemnation from opposition parties, which called them efforts to “destabilise” the state.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force’s Punjab Frontier, while the second blast occurred at around 11 pm near the army cantonment in Amritsar’s Khasa. No injuries have been reported, police said.
An investigation into both incidents is underway.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. “Our teams arrived on the scene immediately,” he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP. Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar (Rural) Superintendent of Police Aditya S Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by a loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
In the Jalandhar incident, the blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. The scooter belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet’s relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
