Hours after Jalandhar incident, another blast near Army cantonment in Amritsar

Hours after a blast outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar, another explosion was reported in Amritsar late Tuesday night.

The incident occurred near the boundary wall of the Army cantonment area on Khasa road. The low-intensity blast damaged a tin sheet mounted on the wall to obstruct the view.

The exact nature of the blast is yet to be ascertained.

Amritsar Rural SSP Sohail Qasim Mir confirmed about the low-intensity explosion sound near the cantonment area.

“At around 11.15 pm, we received information about a loud sound on Khasa road, following which police teams immediately rushed to the spot. We observed a tin sheet mounted on the boundary wall had been damaged and had fallen,” he said.

He added that it appeared someone may have thrown something at the wall, leading the loud sound. However, no major loss was reported.

Quick response teams, forensic experts, and the bomb disposal squad also reached the spot. A joint search operation with the Army and BSF was under way.

Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav arrived on the scene and inspected the site along with senior police officials. He was accompanied by Police Commissioner Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and SSP Amritsar Rural Sohail Qasim Mir.

Officials examined the blast site, which is located between Gate Number 6 and Gate Number 7 of the Army cantonment area.

DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav addresses the media regarding the blast at Khasa in Amritsar on Wednesday. Tribune Photo: Vishal Kumar

Amritsar Member of Parliament Gurjit Singh Aujla has expressed concern over repeated instances of blasts, stating that the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann has failed to ensure the safety and security of residents.

In a statement, Aujla urged the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene and conduct a high-level and impartial probe into the incident. He also called for stern action against the perpetrators, as per law, and demanded immediate steps to strengthen security measures in the border state.

Aujla further alleged that the AAP government in Punjab has pushed the state into a situation of insecurity which has badly impacted the economy, tourism and investments.

A blast took place at the gate of the Punjab Frontier Headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Jalandhar on Tuesday evening, causing panic in the area.

The incident occurred around 8 pm when Gurpreet (22), a delivery boy working with Flipkart, had come to deliver parcels to BSF personnel. While he was returning to his scooter after delivering one parcel and taking out another, an explosion occurred, ripping apart his scooter and also damaging some electrical equipment and poles in the vicinity. Window panes of a nearby shop were also shattered due to the impact.