The Opposition in Punjab on Wednesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party government after two back-to-back blast-like incidents rocked the state within three hours, first in Jalandhar and then in Amritsar, alleging a complete collapse of law and order. No casualties have been reported so far. Sources said a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is heading to both cities to assist Punjab Police in the investigation.
The first incident took place outside the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Jalandhar, where a scooter parked near the premises caught fire and locals reported hearing a loud blast-like sound. Hours later, another suspected explosion was reported near the Khasa cantonment area in Amritsar, triggering panic in the sensitive border state.
Sukhbir Singh Badal said Punjab had witnessed three blasts in 10 days, including one near the Rajpura railway track on April 27. Accusing the government of Intelligence failure, the SAD chief said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had "forfeited the right to remain in office".
"Punjab earned peace after decades of struggle. Over two dozen blasts under this AAP regime are pushing the state back into dark days," Badal wrote on X.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also termed the incidents "serious" and alleged that the government was attempting to cover up the matter. Referring to CCTV footage from the Khasa blast site, he claimed the explosion was powerful enough to shake nearby houses and accused authorities of initially portraying the incident as merely a "scooty fire".
Majithia further alleged that both incidents occurred near sensitive BSF and Army-linked installations in a border state and reflected a "terrifying collapse of security and Intelligence coordination". He questioned how ordinary citizens could feel safe if even high-security zones were vulnerable.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said back-to-back explosions could not be dismissed as a coincidence and urged the administration to restore public confidence amid growing fear and speculation.
A day after the incidents, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of politicising the blasts and alleged they were designed to polarise voters ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections next year. Mann claimed the BJP wanted to "take votes with these blasts" and demanded that such incidents stop immediately.
The blasts have also intensified political pressure on Mann, who is simultaneously dealing with internal turmoil within the AAP following the defection of several Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP. Opposition leaders, including Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Majithia, questioned whether the state's security was being compromised due to political distractions.
With memories of past terror incidents like the Pathankot attack still fresh, concerns over Punjab's security and law-and-order situation continue to grow.
