'Grenade attack' near Gurdaspur police station sparks confusion amid police denials

A grenade was allegedly thrown in front of the City police station in Gurdaspur on Tuesday evening, even as the police went on an overdrive to deny the incident.

The explosion occurred just hours before Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was scheduled to visit the district to inaugurate a sugar mill.

The wife of a local BJP leader sustained injuries when a splinter reportedly hit her. However, a police officer claimed she was hurt “due to some other reason and not due to the blast.”

The Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) claimed responsibility in a social media post, stating that such attacks would continue until the “Hindu community stopped speaking against Khalistan.” Police questioned the authenticity of the post, calling it “fake.”

SSP Aditya denied that any blast had taken place. Simultaneously, he said the police were verifying the contents of a video related to the incident.

Sources indicate that the police were in denial mode to prevent panic among residents.

“Our job is to ensure that peace prevails in the area and to see that the residents do not panic. We also appeal to rumour mongers to stop their nefarious activities, otherwise they will have to face the music,” said a senior officer.

The police deputed an SP-rank officer to clear the air, who took to social media claiming that “no blast has taken place in the city at any point of time.”

Sources, however, say that notwithstanding the repeated denials and rebuttals, the police are still investigating the sequence of events leading up to the blast.