National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday played down the recent twin blasts reported in Punjab, saying such incidents are not uncommon in the country.
Speaking to mediapersons, Farooq said, “Hindustan mein blasts hote rehte hain, kaunsi nayi baat hai (Explosions keep happening in India; what is new about this?).” His remarks came a day after two explosions were reported in Amritsar and Jalandhar on Tuesday.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann earlier condemned the incidents and alleged that there could be a political motive behind the blasts. Mann said investigations into the minor blasts are underway and accused the BJP of using fear and violence for electoral gains. Mann said people of Punjab want peace and claimed that such incidents occur wherever the BJP prepares to contest elections.
Congress leader Raj Kumar also raised questions over the timing of the incidents. He said the blasts happened when elections were approaching and alleged that both the Centre and the state government had failed to control the situation, suggesting a possible conspiracy to influence polls.
In the two back-to-back explosions reported in Punjab, no injuries were reported by the authorities. The first explosion occurred in Jalandhar around 8 pm after a scooter caught fire outside the Border Security Force Punjab Frontier headquarters.
A few hours later, another explosion was reported near the cantonment area in Khasa, Amritsar, at around 10:50 pm, following which police and security agencies rushed to the spot.
Sources said teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have reached the sites to collect forensic evidence and assist local authorities in the investigation. A preliminary investigation is underway, and officials said further details are awaited.
Also read: Punjab on high alert after twin blasts near security zones
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