Jalandhar, May 06: Two blasts within a span of hours near military establishments in Punjab have triggered a security alert in the state, with the police launching a high-level probe to ascertain the chain of events and the nature of the explosions.
The blasts took place outside the Khassa Cantonment in Amritsar and the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Jalandhar on Tuesday night.
Although police initially said the Jalandhar explosion was due to a scooter catching fire, sources said preliminary investigation revealed that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were used in both blasts.
A scooter parked outside the BSF Punjab Frontier Headquarters Jalandhar district caught fire on Tuesday evening, triggering panic in the area. Locals claimed they heard a blast-like sound from the vehicle, police said.
The incident took place around 8 pm outside the headquarters located on the road connecting Jalandhar city with the Amritsar-Delhi highway.
No injuries were reported, and police have cordoned off the area. Officials said it is yet to be determined how the scooter caught fire. Although, CCTV footage surfaced of the incident showing the scooter suddenly exploding and before getting engulfed in flames.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said, “Prima facie, the facts are that an Activa scooter parked here caught fire. We are still verifying the facts on the ground.” A BSF official speaking to reporters said they had informed the police and a probe is on to determine whether it was a blast or just a fire.
Meanwhile, the rider of the scooter has been identified as 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh. According to one of his relatives, Gurpreet regularly visits the area to deliver parcels. On Tuesday evening, as he approached his parked scooter, it suddenly caught fire. He immediately informed his father about the incident, the relative said.
Police Commissioner Kaur, along with senior officials, visited the spot to assess the situation. A forensic team, dog squad and bomb disposal squad were also deployed at the site.
Kaur said Gurpreet Singh is fully cooperating with investigators. “According to Gurpreet, his vehicle suddenly caught fire,” she added.
Around two hours later, another blast occurred near the Khasa cantonment area in Amritsar around 10:50 pm, triggering a swift response from police and security agencies. No casualties were reported in the incident.
According to officials, police received information about the suspected blast and immediately rushed to the spot along with senior Army officers stationed in the cantonment area. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was also deployed to inspect the site.
