The Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested two men, including a Pakistan-based man, in connection with the grenade attack outside the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar past midnight. 
A top Punjab Police officer termed the attack a “major conspiracy” aimed at disturbing communal harmony in the state.

Advertisment

Speaking at a press conference, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Arpit Shukla, revealed that one Zeeshan Akhtar and Pakistan-based Shahzed Bhatti are the key conspirators behind the attack. 
The police are probing their links with the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), he added.

Cops probe ISI, Lawrence Bishnoi links

The grenade attack was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and a wanted accused in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui, sources in Punjab Police have said, reported NDTV. 

Also Read | State executions rise 32% to decade high; Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia behind ‘sharp surge’

The sources further said that Pakistan’s ISI conspired to disrupt religious harmony in Punjab and the attack against the BJP leader was planned across the border.
The grenade was hurled outside Kalia’s house around 1 am on Tuesday. Kalia, a former Punjab minister, was inside his residence at the time of the attack but was not harmed. 

Advertisment

CCTV footage showed the attacker arriving in an e-rickshaw, taking a U-turn after initially passing the house, and then throwing the grenade before fleeing from the spot.


A forensic team examined the spot soon after the blast. Police said the autorickshaw allegedly used in the attack has been recovered.

Advertisment

Also Read | Video: UK’s Birmingham needs the Pied Piper as rats run amok in city amid trash piles

“The case has been solved in a scientific manner. We are in touch with central agencies and continuing with raids. Preventive measures are also being taken,” said ADGP Shukla. 
He added that the Punjab Police is committed to maintaining law and order in the state.

Reacting to the incident, Manoranjan Kalia said he initially thought the sound was from a transformer blast or thunder but later realised that it was a grenade explosion after being informed by someone at his door.
The blast damaged an aluminum partition, shattered glass windows of his home, his SUV and a motorcycle in the courtyard.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: Amit Shah chairs high-level meeting to review developmental projects

This is the latest in a series of grenade attacks that have rocked Punjab in the past six months. Since mid-October 2024, there have been at least 16 such incidents in the state, targeting a mix of police posts, residential areas, religious places, and now a political leader. These include blasts at police posts in Amritsar, Nawanshahr, Batala, Gurdaspur, and Patiala, and attacks on the residences of police officers, civilians, and a temple in Khandwala area of Amritsar.

This latest blast in Punjab has prompted opposition parties to target the Bhagwant Singh Mann government. 
Shortly after the blast, Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Happy Passia claimed responsibility for the attack. This suggests that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang may be working with Khalistan terrorist outfits and the ISI, something security agencies have been suspecting for a while now.

(With inputs from agencies)