Two people have been arrested after a blast rocked the Jalalabad City Police Station in Punjab’s Fazilka district. The police also cited grenade as a cause of the explosion.
The identities of the two accused have been established, while details about their arrests and the motive are awaited, according to a report
The blast took place at around 2 am on Sunday, near the main gate of the police station. It damaged the windows of two vehicles parked inside the premises. The cars had been seized in connection with other cases and were being kept in police custody
A forensic team examined the site after the blast and collected material for investigation. CCTV footage from the police station and nearby areas was also being checked as part of the probe
The grenade attack was confirmed only after the initial investigation. In the immediate aftermath, police had not confirmed what caused the explosion and said forensic examination would be needed to establish its nature
Superintendent of Police Satinder Kumar had earlier said, “A blast occurred in Jalalabad around 2 am last night, due to which the windows of two old vehicles parked there were damaged. These were vehicles kept in police custody."
No casualties have been reported in the incident.
The blast has also triggered a political reaction in Punjab. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government of a “total collapse of law and order in Punjab".
Senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also attacked the state government, saying, “Punjab is in chaos. If police stations are unsafe, how can Punjabis be safe? It is the rule of gangsters, not a rule of law."
The incident comes months ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, which are scheduled for early next year
