Punjab Police Solve Chandigarh BJP Office Grenade Attack, Arrest Five Accused With ISI-Backed Foreign Handlers

Chandigarh: Punjab police on Saturday claimed to have solved in a joint operation with Chandigarh police, the April 1 evening grenade attack case - in which a hand grenade was hurled outside BJP office here in Sector 37, with the arrest of five accused and recovered one hand grenade and one .30 bore Zigana pistol along with ammunition from their possession.

Accused Identities

Those arrested were identified as Balwinder Lal, Jasvir Singh, Charanjit Singh, trio residents of Mohali, Rubal Chauhan of Shimla and Mandeep of Sangrur.

Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations revealed that the module was backed by Pakistan’s ISI and operated under the directions of foreign-based handlers located in Portugal and Germany.

The DGP said that two key perpetrators involved in the attack have also been identified.

Blast Details

It may be recalled that a low intensity blast had taken place around 5 pm on Wednesday when a suspected crude explosive device of low intensity was hurled near the party office. Though its splinters hit some vehicles parked there, no casualties were reported. Beside the Chandigarh police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also inspected the site of the explosion.

Meanwhile, the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) had claimed responsibility for the attack.