Punjab was placed on high alert after two explosions occurred within hours near key security installations in Jalandhar and Amritsar late Tuesday night, prompting an intensified investigation by police and security agencies.
According to officials, no injuries were reported in either incident, but both blasts triggered panic and raised concerns over security and intelligence failures in the state.
The first explosion took place around 8 pm outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force’s Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar. Around three hours later, another blast occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa, Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim said police received information about a loud explosion around 11 pm on a road in Khasa and teams immediately rushed to the spot.
Preliminary investigations indicated that an explosive device may have been hurled towards the boundary wall, causing the blast. Police said a section of the tin sheet covering the wall was damaged in the explosion.
Forensic experts and bomb disposal teams later collected samples from the site, while army officials also visited the area before it was cordoned off for investigation.
CCTV footage from the vicinity reportedly captured the moment of the explosion. Residents said they were awakened by the loud sound and rushed outside to see what had happened.
Earlier in the evening, a blast outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar damaged a scooter, shattered nearby shop windowpanes and affected a traffic signal pole. CCTV visuals showed smoke billowing from the area as an unidentified man was seen running away after the explosion.
The damaged scooter reportedly belonged to Gurpreet Singh, a parcel delivery worker who regularly visited the area. His relatives said the scooter caught fire moments before he reached it.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said the Activa scooter parked near the BSF gate suddenly caught fire and added that Gurpreet Singh was cooperating fully with investigators.
The incidents come days after an explosion on a freight corridor railway track in Shambhu in Patiala district on April 27. Police had then arrested four alleged members of a Pakistan ISI-backed pro-Khalistan terror module in connection with the case.
The back-to-back explosions sparked sharp political reactions, with opposition parties attacking the Aam Aadmi Party government over the deteriorating law-and-order situation.
Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and alleged repeated intelligence failures.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also questioned the state and central governments, saying repeated security lapses pointed to a serious breakdown in intelligence mechanisms.
