Akali Dal Politician Calls for NIA Investigation into Blast at BJP Leader's Home
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Synopsis
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia criticizes the AAP government for deteriorating law and order in Punjab, urging an NIA investigation into the grenade blast at BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's home in Jalandhar.
Key Takeaways
- Bikram Singh Majithia demands an NIA probe into the grenade blast.
- Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's silence on law and order raises questions.
- 17 explosion incidents recorded in Punjab recently.
- Punjab Police claims to have solved the hand-grenade attack.
- Concerns over foreign interference in Punjab's security.
Chandigarh, April 9 (NationPress) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia criticized the AAP government on Wednesday for the declining law and order situation in Punjab, demanding an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the grenade explosion at the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar city.
Speaking to reporters in Jalandhar after visiting Kalia's home, the former minister and ex-Punjab BJP President questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about his silence regarding the grenade blast and other recent terror incidents. “Bhagwant Mann is the home minister and he has not made any statement yet,” Majithia remarked.
He pointed out that there have been 17 explosion incidents in the last few months, asking, “Has anybody heard of so many such incidents in any other state in the country?” He expressed concern over the worsening law and order situation in Punjab.
Several explosion incidents have targeted police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur over the past four to five months, but this marks the first attack on a prominent politician's residence.
Last month, a blast took place outside a temple in Amritsar. In response to the AAP's accusations against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan's spy agency ISI for the explosion at Kalia’s residence, Majithia stated, “It is a cover-up. BJP leader Kalia is a big name. If his house is under attack, then you can well imagine what is the law and order in the state.” He added, “To mislead people, the ISI and Bishnoi have been blamed for this blast incident... This is misleading information only to mislead the public.”
On Tuesday, the Punjab Police announced that they had solved the hand-grenade attack at BJP leader Kalia's home, which was allegedly orchestrated by a terror module backed by the ISI, following the arrest of two suspects within 12 hours, as stated by Special Director General of Police (Special DGP-Law and Order) Arpit Shukla.
“Preliminary investigations have uncovered a larger conspiracy directed by Pakistan's ISI aimed at disturbing communal harmony in Punjab. The plot was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, an associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and ISI-backed gangster Shahzad Bhatti,” he revealed, while not dismissing potential connections to Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) mastermind Harwinder Singh, also known as Rinda, and gangster Happy Passia.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh remarked that the Bhagwant Mann government has utterly failed to curb disruptive forces, which have introduced a “grenade culture” in Punjab. Criticizing the AAP government, Chugh expressed that it showcased a total failure of Chief Minister Mann, who is also the Home Minister, to address foreign-based anti-national elements. “It is time Mann resigns as Chief Minister for his failure to check grenade attacks in the state,” he stated.
“Law and order in the state has completely collapsed as the grenade attack occurred at a senior BJP leader’s house,” Chugh said in a statement on Tuesday.
