Two people have been arrested in the case, namely Harry and Satish aka Kaka. |
Chandigarh: Punjab police on Tuesday claimed to have cracked in less than 12 hours the shocking case of the hand grenade attack at the BJP leader’s house in Jalandhar, with the arrest of two accused persons.
Briefing newspersons in the context, special Director General of Police (Special DGP), Law and Order, Arpit Shukla held that preliminary investigations revealed the blast was masterminded by Pak-ISI backed terror module to disrupt communal harmony in Punjab.
Claiming that the plot was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan-based ISI-sponsored gangster Shahzad Bhatti,” he said, while not ruling out the possible links of the accused with Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) mastermind Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and gangster Happy Passia.
Special DGP Shukla further said that police teams have also recovered an E-rickshaw used by the accused persons in executing the crime.
Commissioner of Police (CP), Jalandhar, Dhanpreet Kaur said that the case is being investigated in coordination with central intelligence agencies to trace the entire terror network.
It may be recalled, an massive explosion occurred at the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia, former minister, located in Central Town, Jalandhar, in the wee hours of Tuesday after an unidentified miscreant lobbed a grenade at his residence. Though no one was hurt in the incident, the blast badly damaged the side door near the entrance and shattered the window panes.
OPPN GUNS FOR MANN, AAP GOVT
Meanwhile, all the opposition parties – Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP – hit out at the chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the such incidents and sought his resignation.
Union minister Ravneet Bittu who met Kalia said there is an atmosphere of fear in the state and the AAP government has lost control of the law and order situation in Punjab; the border state has seen militancy but even during the period grenades were not used like this as now it seems as if grenades are easily available in toy shops, he alleged and added that drugs are also being openly used and even Punjab police personnel are being caught with drugs.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who is the leader of Opposition in Punjab (LoP) in the assembly took to X to say: “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 ….. If the Chief Minister @BhagwantMann cannot ensure the safety of citizens, he should step down’’.
The SAD leader Sukhbir Badal alleged that lawlessness has crossed all bounds in Punjab.….The CM must take moral responsibility for these incidents and resign immediately.
