Explosion near court complex, 1 injured; cops rule out foul play

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 8

An explosion occurred outside the sadar 'malkhana' (a place to store items seized by police) situated next to the court complex building in Ludhiana on Thursday morning. A sanitary worker got injured in the incident.

The sound of the blast led to panic and heavy police force was rushed to the spot.

The incident took place around 9 am after a sweeper set a pile of garbage on fire outside the 'malkhana'. The police claimed that a bottle containing a liquid substance exploded in the fire. The police ruled out any malafide intention or foul play behind the incident.

Investigation on

• A sweeper had put a pile of garbage on fire and a bottle containing a liquid substance exploded. The incident took place outside the sadar ‘malkhana’ near the court complex building
• A police team have started an investigation into the incident
• Sanitation worker Jai Bhan suffered injury in the incident after shards of shattered glass pierced his foot. There is no evidence of foul play or malicious intent by anyone, the police said

The injured worker, Jai Bhan, said the waste was put on fire as per the instructions of officials. A sudden explosion occurred, shattering the glass windows of the storage room, he said. Shards of glass pierced his foot, resulting in an injury. He had no prior knowledge of any discarded bottles in the dumped waste, he added.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jasroop Kaur Batth said it appears that the waste, consisting of papers and bottles, was being removed from the 'malkhana'. The worker unintentionally put the waste on fire, resulting in the explosion. They have thoroughly examined the situation and found no evidence of foul play or malicious intent by anyone.

The police also called the anti-sabotage team to inspect the site. In a statement released, the police said no blast took place at the District Courts, Ludhiana, today. They have urged the residents to not get panicked and refrain from spreading misinformation.

Notably, the malkhana is situated near to the parking areas of the Court Complex. Chetan Verma, president, District Bar Association, Ludhiana, said they have already made a request to the district administration to relocate the 'malkhana' to a secure location. He said the location of the malkhana is considered unsafe as it stores hazardous items. Therefore, it is necessary to move it to a safer place to avoid any kind of tragedy.

Notably, the malkhana had reportedly caught fire a few months ago.