Chandigarh, Apr 8 : Unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade at Punjab BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's Jalandhar residence early Tuesday, shattering glass panes and damaging his SUV and a motorcycle, police said, pinning the blame on a conspiracy by the ISI and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to create communal tension in the state. No was injured in the blast. Kalia was at home near Shastri Market in Jalandhar when the explosion took place around 1 a.m.  Police later arrested two persons in connection with the incident and said it was the conspiracy of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to create communal tension in Punjab.

An e-rickshaw used in the crime has also been recovered, Special Director General of Police (law and order) Arpit Shukla told reporters here. He said police cracked the case within 12 hours of the incident. It was a major conspiracy of Pakistan's ISI. Zeeshan Akhtar, who is an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and (Pakistani gangster) Shahzad Bhatti, they had hatched this conspiracy," said Shukla. He also did not rule out the possible links of the accused with Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) mastermind Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and gangster Happy Passia. An investigation into the possible links of BKI is also underway, he added.

A "loud sound" was heard around 1 am at the residence of Kalia near Shastri Market in Jalandhar, said police. No one was hurt in the incident, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Manpreet Singh. Punjab Police teams are conducting raids at different places. Asked whether Zeeshan was the same person who was involved in the Bada Siddiqui murder case, Shukla said, "Yes, you are right." He also denied any intelligence failure. Police said following the blast, teams from Jalandhar Commissionerate immediately rushed to the spot, and a forensic team collected samples and relevant evidence from the scene. Sharing more details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Jalandhar Dhanpreet Kaur said the case is being investigated in coordination with central intelligence agencies to trace the entire terror network and ensure strict action against all conspirators.

She said a case has been registered under relevant sections  of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Explosive Substances Act at Police Station Division number 3 in Jalandhar. However, police did not reveal the identity of the arrested accused and also said that they were in touch with central agencies in this case. Kalia, a former Cabinet minister and former president of Punjab BJP, described it as a  "grenade blast". There have been many incidents of explosions, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months but this is the first such case when the house of a prominent politician was targeted. Last month, a blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar. Opposition parties took on the AAP government alleging total collapse of the state's law and order and asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who holds the home portfolio, to resign on moral grounds.

Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat, who met Kalia at his residence, claimed miscreants, who "could not digest the all-round development of the state" and want to disrupt peace in the state, were behind this explosion. The Punjab government will not allow disturbance of peace and harmony in the state, he asserted. Speaking to reporters, Kalia, a member of the BJP's national executive, said, "The grenade attack was so severe that the partition in the house was severely damaged. The window glass of the kitchen was damaged. A bathroom door was damaged." The blast left a small hole on the floor at the entrance of the house. Kalia's SUV and a motorcycle parked in the courtyard were also damaged. Kalia said he was sleeping when he heard the sound of the explosion.

He said he initially thought there was a blast in the electric transformer because of overloading. His driver then told him it was a blast. Thereafter, he called the Commissioner of Police and assistant commissioner of police between 1:15 and 1:30 am but they did not pick up the phone. Then he sent his gunman to the police station, Kalia said, adding that later a police team came. He also said Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav called him up around 4 am, telling him that the commission of Police would visit his house. Earlier, BJP Jalandhar district president Sushil Sharma said some unidentified persons came in an e-rickshaw and threw the hand-grenade towards the leader's residence.

The CCTV footage of the incident showed that the e-rickshaw first crossed Kalia's house. After some time, it returned and then the explosion took place with the CCTV footage showing sparks and smoke. In the video, a dog, which was sitting on the street, could be seen running away to safety after the explosion. Another CCTV footage of Kalia's residence showed the hand grenade landed in the courtyard and then it exploded. The police station is located around 100 m from the spot, said a BJP leader. After the blast, senior police officers, including Kaur, reached the spot to take stock of the situation.

She said police received information about the explosion around 1 am. She also said that security has been beefed up at key areas including bus stands and railway stations. Asked whether it was a hand-grenade attack, Kaur said the forensic team has collected samples from the spot. "Whatever information we receive, we will share," she further said. Police said it was examining the CCTV footage to trace the accused. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma visited Kalia's residence. Bittu alleged that it appeared to be a "well-planned conspiracy" against a senior and Hindu leader. It was an attack on Kalia's house. They (miscreants) threw a grenade at his residence. We used to hear about such incidents in Naxal areas or in Srinagar. These are now happening in Punjab," said Bittu.

About the impact of the explosion, Bittu said it left a small hole on the floor of the house while doors and windows of the house were damaged. AAP leader Pawan Kumar Tinu accompanied Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat to Kalia's residence. Tinu said an attempt was made to disturb peace and harmony in the state by some miscreants who are the enemies of Punjab and the country. They want to create terror in the minds of people with such incidents, said Tinu, adding that the perpetrators of this crime will not be spared. Opposition parties targeted the AAP government over the law and order situation. BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh sought the resignation of Mann. The grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia is a chilling reminder of the complete collapse of law and order in Punjab under CM Bhagwant Mann's regime.

This is not an isolated act of violence - it is part of a larger, dangerous conspiracy to destabilise Punjab, fuel communal unrest, and intimidate political voices. From RPG attacks on police intelligence HQs to grenade strikes on police stations, from sacrilege incidents at religious places to the shameful vandalism of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar's statues -? Punjab is being pushed into the dark alleys of terror and anarchy," Chug posted on X. He further added, "What's worse is the shocking silence and inaction of the chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio. His repeated failures to protect the lives, property, and dignity of Punjabis prove he is unfit to govern. @BhagwantMann  must accept moral responsibility and resign immediately. Punjab deserves peace, not propaganda." Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal also sought the resignation of Mann.

Lawlessness has crossed all bounds in Punjab. After attacks on police stations, places of worship & vandalism of statues of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, now the residence of a former minister & senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has been subject to a grenade attack. All these incidents make it clear the @AamAadmiParty & chief minister @BhagwantMann are unable to come to grips with the situation. The CM must take moral responsibility for these incidents & resign immediately," said Badal in a post on X. Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also hit out at Mann over the incident.

/Agencies