A pro-Khalistan terror module was behind a late-night blast on a freight corridor railway track near the Shambhu area in Patiala, police said on Tuesday. One member of the group was killed while trying to detonate the explosives, and four others linked to the module have been apprehended.
The explosion took place on Monday night on the Shambhu–Ambala railway track. Initially believed to be a low-intensity blast, the investigation later revealed that it was an attempt to blow up the railway track, police officials said.
The blast occurred near Bothonia village on a rail line dedicated to freight trains. The explosion damaged the track and created a small crater beneath the railway line, according to police.
Calling it the second such incident on a freight corridor within three months, a senior police officer stated that the case is likely to be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further investigation.
Police recovered a mutilated and unidentified body from the site, with body parts scattered along the railway line. Officials later confirmed that the person attempting the detonation died during the blast itself, said Patiala SSP Varun Sharma. The deceased suspect was identified as Jagrup Singh, a resident of Panjwar village in Tarn Taran district.
Special Director General of Police (Railways) Shashi Prabha Dwivedi, who inspected the site, said CCTV footage showed Jagrup parking his motorcycle in Amritsar before the incident.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Kuldeep Chahal said the four apprehended accused have been identified as Pardeep Singh Khalsa and Kulwinder Singh, both residents of Mansa, along with Satnam Singh and Gurpreet Singh from Tarn Taran.
Police identified Pardeep Singh Khalsa as the main kingpin of the module because of his alleged links with Malaysia-based pro-Khalistan handlers. According to the DIG, he had been sending radicalised youth to Malaysia for terror training and assigning them tasks related to terror activities. He was also running a radical organisation identified as ‘Chalda Vaheer Chakarwarti, Attariye.’ Police seized a hand grenade, two pistols, ammunition, communication devices meant for future attacks, and laptops from the accused.
Speaking to mediapersons at the spot, Dwivedi said a goods train was passing when the locomotive pilot sensed something unusual and immediately raised an alarm, helping authorities respond quickly.
Referring to the involvement of anti-social elements opposed to the country’s development, the officer said this was the second attempt targeting a freight corridor.
Responding to queries about an NIA probe, Dwivedi said considering the repeated nature of such incidents, the agency is likely to take over the investigation.
She also pointed out that the area lacked CCTV surveillance and stressed the need to install cameras at regular intervals along the freight corridor for better monitoring.
SSP Varun Sharma said police received information late at night about a suspected low-intensity blast near the Shambhu-Haryana border. Senior police officials rushed to the scene and later confirmed that it was an attempted detonation rather than a minor explosion. A SIM card was also recovered from the spot.
Sharma added that after collecting scientific evidence, including the recovered SIM card, police launched a technical investigation and expressed confidence that the entire conspiracy would soon be uncovered. He further said that the Government Railway Police, Railway Protection Force and other security agencies are jointly investigating the case.
After the blast, forensic experts, bomb disposal teams and senior officers reached the site to examine evidence and secure the area.
A Government Railway Police official later confirmed that repair work on the damaged track had been completed and railway traffic on the route has been restored.
Earlier in January, a similar blast on the dedicated freight corridor in Sirhind area of Fatehgarh Sahib district had damaged a train engine and injured a locomotive pilot.
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