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Chandigarh: Two men identified as the main perpetrators of the blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh have been arrested, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday in a press conference in Chandigarh.
The accused—Gurtej Singh and Amanpreet Singh, both residents of Ratangarh village in Punjab’s Ropar district—were apprehended from Rewari in Haryana on Saturday night.
The blast occurred around 5 pm on April 1 outside the BJP state office in Sector 37, Chandigarh. While no casualties were reported, the explosion damaged a scooter and shattered the windowpanes of nearby vehicles. Police investigations later confirmed that the explosion was caused by a hand grenade, initially suspected to be a crude bomb.
Addressing a press conference, the DGP said Amanpreet Singh has a prior criminal record, with cases of theft registered in Mohali and snatching in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur.
Police investigations revealed that Gurtej Singh had come in contact with Portugal-based handler Baljot Singh alias Jot through social media about six months ago. On March 28, he was allegedly instructed to collect a consignment of grenades and weapons from the Balachaur area in Punjab.
With these arrests, the total number of accused apprehended in the case has risen to seven. Earlier, five individuals—Balwinder Lal alias Shami, Jasvir Singh alias Jassi, Charanjit Singh alias Channi, Rubal Chauhan, and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma—were arrested as part of a module allegedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Police said the operation was carried out jointly by the Punjab Police’s Counter-Intelligence wing and the Chandigarh Police. One hand grenade and a .30 bore Zigana pistol, along with ammunition, were recovered from the accused.
Assistant Inspector General Deepak Pareek said the consignment of grenades and arms had changed hands multiple times before reaching the perpetrators.
A viral video that surfaced shortly after the blast showed one of the accused pulling the pin of a blue-coloured grenade and hurling it, while another recorded the act. CCTV footage also captured the suspects fleeing the spot moments after the explosion.
The accused have been booked under provisions of the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the SSOC police station in SAS Nagar. Meanwhile, Babbar Khalsa International operative Sukhjinder Singh Babbar had claimed responsibility for the attack through a social media post on the day of the incident. Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and foreign handlers involved in the case.
