Jalandhar: Grenade hurled at Punjab BJP leader’s house, two suspects held

Chandigarh: A blast occurred at Punjab BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence in Jalandhar early Tuesday when some unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade, damaging an aluminum partition, glass windows, his SUV and a motorcycle but no one was hurt, police said.

Kalia was at home when the explosion took place.

Police later arrested two persons in connection with the incident and said it was the conspiracy of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to create communal tension in Punjab. An e-rickshaw used in the crime has also been recovered, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla told reporters here.

He said police cracked the case within 12 hours of the incident. “It was a major conspiracy of Pakistan’s ISI. Zeeshan Akhtar, who is an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and (Pakistani gangster) Shahzad Bhatti, they had hatched this conspiracy,” said Shukla.

He also did not rule out the possible links of the accused with Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) mastermind Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and gangster Happy Passia. An investigation into the possible links of the Babbar Khalsa International is also underway, said Shukla. Punjab Police teams are conducting raids at different places.

Asked whether Zeeshan was the same person who was involved in the Bada Siddiqui murder case, Shukla said, “Yes, you are right.” He also denied any intelligence failure.

Police said following the blast, teams from Jalandhar Commissionerate immediately rushed to the spot, and a forensic team collected samples and relevant evidence from the scene.

Sharing more details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Jalandhar Dhanpreet Kaur said the case is being investigated in coordination with Central intelligence agencies to trace the entire terror network and ensure strict action against all conspirators.

She said a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Explosive Substances Act at Police Station Division number 3 in Jalandhar.

However, police did not reveal the identity of the arrested accused and also said that they were in touch with central agencies in this case.

Kalia is a former Cabinet minister and ex-president of

Punjab BJP.