Blast at BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's Jalandhar home, two held; ISI and Bishnoi link suspected

Chandigarh: A "blast" took place at the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Punjab's Jalandhar district, causing panic in the area. Kalia is a former Cabinet minister and former president of Punjab BJP. He is also a member of the BJP's national executive. A "loud sound" was heard at around 1 am at the residence of Kalia near Shastri Market in Jalandhar, said police. No one was hurt in the incident, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Manpreet Singh, adding, "The forensic team is investigating the matter." Speaking to reporters, Kalia said it could be a hand-grenade blast. "The grenade attack was so severe that the partition in the house was severely damaged. The window glass of the kitchen was damaged. A bathroom door was damaged," said Kalia. There was some damage to the floor of the entrance and his SUV as well.

Kalia said he was sleeping when he heard the sound of the explosion. He said he initially thought there was a blast in the electric transformer because of overloading. His driver then told him it was a blast. Thereafter, he called the police but nobody picked up the phone, he said. Then he sent his gunman to the police station, Kalia added. BJP Jalandhar district president Sushil Sharma said some unidentified persons came in an e-rickshaw and threw a "hand-grenade" towards the leader's residence. Senior police officers, including Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur, reached the spot to take stock of the situation. Kaur told reporters that police received information about the explosion at around 1 am. "We have checked the spot. Our forensic teams also investigated it. We will register an FIR and further investigate the incident," she said. "We are examining the CCTV trail," she said, and added, "We have secured nearby areas." Asked whether it was a hand-grenade attack, Kaur said the forensic team has collected samples from the spot. "Whatever information we receive, we will share," she further said.

Police said it was examining the CCTV footage to trace the accused. There have been many incidents of explosions, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months. Last month, a blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma visited Kalia's residence. Many other BJP leaders and party supporters also gathered at his residence. Opposition parties targeted the AAP government over the law and order situation following the blast at the residence of Kalia. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal sought the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who holds the home portfolio. "Lawlessness has crossed all bounds in Punjab. After attacks on police stations, places of worship & vandalism of statues of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, now the residence of a former minister & senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has been subject to a grenade attack. "All these incidents make it clear the @AamAadmiParty & chief minister @BhagwantMann are unable to come to grips with the situation. The CM must take moral responsibility for these incidents & resign immediately," said Badal in a post on X. Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also hit out at the chief minister over the incident. "The grenade attack on Shri Manoranjan Kalia's residence is a stark reminder of the escalating violence in Punjab under CM @BhagwantMann's tenure. Since he assumed office, there have been multiple blasts, including the Mohali RPG attack in May 2022 and the series of grenade attacks on police stations in late 2024. This pattern underscores a significant lapse in maintaining law and order. If the Chief Minister @BhagwantMann cannot ensure the safety of citizens, he should step down," said Bajwa.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with a blast at Punjab BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's residence in Jalandhar, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. He further said the e-rickshaw used in the crime has also been recovered. Addressing the media here, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla said the crime was committed to disturb communal harmony. "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 a conspiracy," said Shukla.

He further said an investigation into the possible links of the Babbar Khalsa International is also underway, adding that Punjab Police was also in touch with the central agencies. A blast at Kalia's residence in Jalandhar early Tuesday damaged an aluminum partition, shattered glass windows of his home, his SUV and a motorcycle in the courtyard. No one was hurt, police said. Kalia, a former Cabinet minister and former president of Punjab BJP, was at home when the explosion took place. He is also a member of the BJP's national executive. There have been many incidents of explosions, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months but this is the first such incident when the house of a prominent politician was targeted. Last month, a blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar.