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Grenade blast outside Chandigarh BJP office; reprisal for Sikh killings, man claims online
Chandigarh, Apr 1 (PTI): A blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters here Wednesday sent people panicking, with a social media post claiming that the "grenade attack" was a reprisal for the killing of "Sikh youths." Police suspected the object hurled was a "crude" device. No casualties were reported in the blast.
A team of the National Investigation Agency visited the site to investigate the explosion, which occurred at around 5 pm, a police officer said.
The BJP's state unit chief Sunil Jakhar dubbed it an "attack" at the party office.
An unverified video surfaced on social media showing a person carrying a helmet in his hand, pulling the pin out of a grenade and throwing it, while another recorded the act.
After it was hurled, both ran, followed by the blast sound.
Their faces were not visible in the 10-second video, the veracity of which was yet to be ascertained.
Meanwhile, in a post on social media, a person named Sukhjinder Singh Babbar claimed the responsibility for the "grenade attack." "We want to tell the Indian system that it can use any means to eliminate Sikh youths of Punjab; they will give a befitting reply to it. Killers of Ranjit Singh in Gurdaspur will also not be spared," the post purportedly read.
Ranjit was one of the three men accused in a murder case involving the killing of two policemen on February 22. He was shot dead in an encounter with the police.
Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur said, "Prima facie, it appears that a small crude-type device was thrown." She said the occurrence of a blast near the Punjab BJP office was reported at around 5 pm.
"Our crime branch and the operation cell also reached here," she said, adding that a team from the Central Forensic Laboratory was rushed to the site.
Police said they were scanning CCTV footage from nearby spots to identify the bomb throwers.
The party's state media cell head, Vineet Joshi, said the office staff heard the sound and they immediately alerted police.
"There was panic after the blast. A scooter was damaged. The windowpanes of a car were damaged. Splinter marks are visible on the wall," he said.
He said Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma had been staying at the party office for the past four days and left for Delhi at 6 am today.
"How did the blast take place? Only police can provide details," Joshi told reporters.
The Punjab BJP headquarters is located in Sector 37, which also houses Law Bhavan and a petrol pump.
The office often hosts press conferences and is a hub of other party activities.
Reacting to the blast, Jakhar said, "First, there were continuous grenade attacks on police stations in Punjab; then recently, a statue of Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar was vandalised in Hoshiarpur; and today, the BJP state-level office in Chandigarh was attacked." The series of incidents indicates attempts to disrupt the communal harmony in the state, he said.
Jakhar slammed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and accused it of failing to rein in criminal activities in the state.
"As a result, the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab is now beginning to affect Chandigarh as well," he said in a post on X.
No matter how much separatist forces try, they will not be able to break the communal unity of Punjab, Jakhar added.
The blast left Amarinder Singh, a BJP leader and a former Punjab chief minister, shocked and concerned.
"I urge the concerned authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation and ensure strict action against those responsible," he said.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa found the news of the blast worrying.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt. This incident raises serious concerns, and it's high time that both Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party ensured that security is not compromised in Chandigarh and across Punjab. Public safety must remain the top priority," the leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly said.
Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia sought a thorough investigation into the incident.
"It is shocking to hear about the blast outside the @BJP4Punjab office in Chandigarh, raising serious questions over the law and order situation," he said on X. Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur must clarify and confirm the authenticity of this video, he added.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the blast and called it a "matter of grave concern." Warring said the incident reflected the complete failure of the security and intelligence apparatus and the Union Home Ministry.
He said that if Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, which houses two governors and two chief ministers with so much security paraphernalia, is not safe, one can imagine the state of the rest of Punjab.
BJP leader R P Singh found it serious that a senior party functionary had just left the office for Delhi.
"Just 15 days ago, he was cautioned by the SSP of Pathankot to suspend his morning walks due to a specific threat perception. Whether there is any link between that warning and today's blast is a matter for investigation, but the coincidence cannot be ignored," said the party's national spokesperson on X.
Singh said the incident raises serious questions on security, intelligence coordination, and the overall law & order situation in Punjab.
"Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice at the earliest. There can be zero tolerance for such acts of terror," he added.
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