Punjab Police suspects ISI backed Khalistani elements behind the bomb blast in a court complex of Ludhiana. The blast killed at least 1 person and injured many on Thursday. Police suspect that the killed person was handling the bomb himself.
Ludhiana Police commissioner, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said,“Preliminary investigation indicate the possibility that the person who has been killed in the blast was either carrying it, or handling it from very close quarters”.
A Senior intelligence officer has said that law enforcement agencies were anticipating a surge in Khalistani terror activities since the republic day incident at red fort. According to sources, law enforcement agencies are suspecting Babbar Khalsa and Sikhs for Justice for the attack.
According to Additional Director General of Police (internal security) R.N. Dhoke the police will investigate the blast on the lines of recent recoveries of RDX and tiffin bombs. According to forensics team and the bomb disposal squad, terrorists have used “fairly large quantity of high quality explosive” in the blast.
The blast was so powerful that it shook the nearby buildings. Explosion has damaged several walls of the building and shattered windows. The explosion occurred at about 12:30PM in a washroom of the court complex at Ludhiana.
As per sources, intelligence agencies had received at least three inputs regarding terror attacks on sensitive buildings across Punjab. According to these inputs, Khalistani terror outfits were planning attacks in crowded areas of the border state. One such input was received on Thursday itself. The agencies had shared these inputs with the local police also.
Larger game plan of ISI
According to inputs, ISI is trying to use local criminals by radicalising them. ISI is trying to recruit small time criminals and local gangs to carry out terror activities in the state. They have asked the police to prepare a list of criminals out on bail or those who are absconding.
State police has been able to recover seven tiffin bombs and ten grenades from towns along the border. According to a senior police officer, these recoveries are just a tip of the iceberg.
He further said that agencies have reported 42 drone sightings along the border. Many cases must have gone unreported. Pakistan is using these unmanned aerial vehicles to drop weapons and explosives in the state. The aim of ISI and Khalistani terrorists is to disrupt the peace of the state.