Blast at Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh, Babbar Khalsa claims responsibility

Punjab: A grenade blast outside the Punjab BJP office in Sector 37 on Wednesday evening has raised new concerns about law and order in Chandigarh. Three incidents of firing have been reported in the past two weeks. Following the blast, police have directed all Station House Officers (SHOs) to intensify night patrolling and increase surveillance in sensitive areas. Police said security is being further strengthened across the city. On March 17, a shooting incident at Punjab University, targeting SOPU leader Jashanpreet (Jashan) Singh Jawanda, spread panic among students. The Bambiha and Doni Bal gangs claimed responsibility for the attack. The following day, a property dealer was shot dead in broad daylight near the Sector 9-C parking lot on Madhya Marg. Gangster Lucky Patial claimed responsibility for the murder. The shooter, Rajan alias Piyush Pehalwan, and his accomplice were arrested by the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) ​​from Kaithal on March 19. On March 22, a minor allegedly opened fire in Sector 38. The complainant narrowly escaped. Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria were present in the sector that day, so security was already tight in the area.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s grenade attack has further alarmed residents and officials. It’s believed the grenade was intended to be thrown inside the Punjab BJP office, but it missed its target and exploded outside. No casualties were reported. However, the impact was so powerful that it spread panic among residents of the area. A scooter parked outside the office was damaged in the blast, while the front windscreen and passenger side window of a car belonging to a young leader from Mansa district were shattered. The damaged scooter belonged to Arsh, a resident of Nayagaon, who is associated with the BJP’s IT cell. Eyewitnesses reported that the blast occurred around 5 p.m., prompting those inside the office to rush out and inform the police. Upon receiving information about the blast, Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, SP (City) Priyanka, and SP (Headquarters) Manjeet, along with teams from the Fire Department, Kavach, the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), the dog squad, and several other security agencies, rushed to the scene. Later, IG Pushpendra Kumar and SP (Operations) Geetanjali Khandelwal also arrived. Speaking to the media at the scene, the SSP said, “Around 5 p.m., we received information that an explosion was heard near the BJP office in Sector 37. Our teams reached the spot within 10 minutes.
At first glance, it appears that a small, crude bomb was thrown. Teams from the NIA, FSL, Chandigarh Police, Crime Branch, Operations Cell, and Crime Cell have arrived. We are investigating.” The area was cordoned off and sealed, causing a brief traffic disruption. Initial investigations revealed shrapnel-like marks on nearby walls and the ground, suggesting a low-intensity explosive device may have been used. Officials said the authenticity of the explosives would only be confirmed after forensic analysis. Gurdeep Singh, a young BJP leader from Mansa, said a meeting was underway in his office at the time of the incident. He said, “As soon as we heard the blast, we ran out and saw that the windows of my car were shattered. It seemed like a high-intensity blast, as smoke and dirt were all around.” He had parked his car around 4 p.m. Eyewitnesses also reported seeing two suspicious men near the site at the time of the blast. Chandigarh police and their Punjab counterparts have launched a joint investigation. Meanwhile, the Babbar Khalsa (Babbar Khalsa) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Officials said a video of the attack, allegedly recorded by the attackers, has surfaced on social media. In it, they are seen holding and throwing explosives before fleeing the scene. Security agencies are conducting a technical analysis of the video to identify them. On September 11, 2024, a hand grenade was thrown at a house near Hotel Mountview in Sector 10, shattering window panes. In another incident on November 26, 2024, explosions occurred outside two clubs in Sector 26, the perpetrators of which were later arrested. In recent months, several prominent locations in Chandigarh, including private schools, the District Court, the High Court, and the Punjab Secretariat, have received bomb threats, leading to evacuations and search operations. In a press release, city BJP General Secretary Rambir Bhatti strongly condemned the incident, calling it a cowardly plot by anti-social and anti-national elements. He said, “This is the work of cowards who are afraid of the BJP’s growing support and influence. It is even more worrying that the attacker himself recorded a video of the incident, which reveals his ulterior motives.”