Punjab put on high alert following blast; CM Channi, Sidhu, meet injured persons at hospital

Punjab has been put on high-alert following the bomb blast in a district court in Ludhiana Thursday noon in which at least one person was killed and several others injured. National Investigation Agency is likely to take over the case, according to sources.

Ludhiana (Punjab):Punjab has been put on high alert after the Ludhiana court complex blast that claimed two lives on Thursday afternoon.

Talking to the media, after visiting the injured at the hospital, Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi said that the state is put on high alert and an investigation is underway. Channi said that "anti-national" elements were doing such acts as Assembly elections are nearing in the state. "The government is on alert. Those found guilty will not be spared."

Terming the bomb blast incident as "most shocking and dastardly act", Channi said that "forces inimical to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state would never succeed in their nefarious designs with a sole motive to destabilise the state."

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said, "It's unfortunate that fear is being spread in the name of a political agenda. That's the culmination of negative politics; innocent people get killed for votes' polarization."

Sidhu was talking to the press after visiting the Ludhiana District Court blast victims. He also said that a "befitting reply" will be given "to those who want to divide us."

"If everything remains fine for about 4yrs, why do a series of events happen only 1-2 months prior to (Assembly) elections? That's what happened in WB. I condemn this cheap politics," he added.

Deputy CM Punjab, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who visited the blast site earlier, told reporters that since Punjab was a border state, the possibility of "external forces cannot be ruled out as they never want Punjab to be stable".

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought a detailed report from the Punjab government over the bomb blast.

As per the initial investigation, one of the victims is the prime suspect in the blast that occurred at around 12.15 pm in the district court complex.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar said the blast occurred near a toilet on the second floor of the court building. The incident might be a case of a human bomb, according to Bhullar, as the body of one prime suspect was found close to the spot.

"He was either carrying the bomb or was very close to it," the top police officer said adding that the police are trying to identify the deceased person. One of the eye-witnesses of the blast confirmed that the device was reportedly planted in the bathroom of the court premises. He also said that the sensors and other fire-protection facilities at the court are not functional.

The security around the court has been beefed up and police have cordoned off and cleared the area. The movement of the people inside the court has also been temporarily suspended. A two-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the blast site. Sources said that NIA was likely to take over the case.