Security agencies are investigating a possible Jammu and Kashmir angle into the BJP office blast in Chandigarh that occurred on Wednesday, officials said. Investigators are now focusing on the explosives used in the attack, which are reportedly linked to Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The focus of the probe has shifted from treating the incident as an isolated event after new evidence emerged suggesting that the explosives may have been supplied from the border district about one-and-a-half years ago.
The blast took place around 5 pm when a suspected crude explosive device was hurled near the party office. No casualties were reported, but the explosion caused panic in the area. Officials said a part of a similar consignment of explosives was earlier seized in Punjab.
While the scope of the investigation is widening, investigators have not yet reached any formal conclusion as the probe is still in its early stages. Sources said more clarity is expected in the coming days. A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also joined the investigation.
Reacting to the attack, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma described the blast outside the party’s headquarters as an unfortunate incident and blamed “forces inimical to peace and brotherhood” in the state for the cowardly act.
Sharma also criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab and linked the blast to a series of previous grenade attacks on police stations and other incidents.
Also read: One held in Punjab BJP office blast case
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