Punjab on alert after twin blasts: Explosion near Amritsar Cantt, scooter blast near Jalandhar BSF HQ; Khalistani group claims attack

NEW DELHI: Two separate blast-like incidents in Punjab within hours of each other triggered panic and set off a political slugfest on Tuesday.In Amritsar, a suspected explosion was reported around 10:50pm near the Khasa cantonment area.Police and Army personnel rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information about the blast sound. Amritsar SP Aditya S Warrier said the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams were deployed to examine the site and collect evidence. “We are verifying how many blasts occurred and the exact cause,” he said, adding that samples have been sent for detailed analysis. No injuries were reported in the incident.Hours before in Jalandhar, a scooter parked outside the Border Security Force (BSF) Punjab Frontier headquarters caught fire around 8pm, with several locals claiming they heard a loud blast-like sound.A video of the blast captures a massive explosion, as a bystander nearby is jolted by the impact and sprints away in panic.A senior Punjab police officer said Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) has taken responsibility for the Jalandhar blast. The officer said police were verifying the claim. The officer said Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti's probable link in the blast also being looked into.Police, however, said it was too early to confirm whether it was an explosion or an accidental fire. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said prima facie it appeared that a parked scooter had caught fire, but all angles were being probed.The scooter’s owner, identified as 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh, a courier delivery worker, sustained minor injuries.According to his family, he had just stepped away from the vehicle when it suddenly exploded, and he suspected an object may have been thrown at it.Security agencies, including forensic teams, bomb squads and dog squads, were deployed, and the area was cordoned off. Officials said the youth is cooperating with the investigation.The twin incidents come days after a blast attempt on a railway track in Patiala’s Rajpura area on April 27, where the accused died during the detonation attempt, raising fresh concerns over security in the border state.Opposition parties sharply criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, alleging a collapse of law and order.Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia termed the incidents “serious” and accused authorities of rushing to conclusions without a thorough probe, suggesting a possible cover-up.Punjab BJP leaders also hit out at the government, calling the Jalandhar incident a “chilling reminder” of deteriorating security, while Congress leaders flagged lapses in vigilance and demanded proactive measures to restore public confidence.The Punjab government has not issued a detailed response yet. Meanwhile, police said investigations in both cases are ongoing and clarity on the nature of the incidents is expected after forensic reports are examined.(With agency inputs)Also Read: Punjab twin blasts: CCTV captures man running from Jalandhar site after explosion; NIA steps in as Khalistan group claims role