PTI
Chandigarh
A blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters here Wednesday evening sent people panicking, with the police saying a “crude” device appeared to have been hurled. No casualties were reported.
A team of the National Investigation Agency was at the site to investigate the blast, 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.
A video surfaced on social media showing a person wearing a helmet throwing a grenade-like object while another recorded the act.
After the object was hurled, both started running, followed by the sound of a blast.
Their faces were not visible in the 10-second video, the veracity of which was yet to be ascertained.
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.
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, terming the incident a matter of concern.
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 BR 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.
Bajwa found the news of the blast worrying.
