‘Blast’ outside residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Punjab

Deputy Commissioner of Police Manpreet Singh said forensic teams have reached the spot to collect samples. A loud sound was heard at around 1 am outside Kalia's residence near Shastri Market in Jalandhar

Chandigarh: A “blast” took place outside the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Punjab’s Jalandhar district, causing panic in the area.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Manpreet Singh said forensic teams have reached the spot to collect samples. A loud sound was heard at around 1 am outside Kalia’s residence near Shastri Market in Jalandhar, police said, adding that no one was hurt in the incident. “The forensic team is investigating the matter,” Singh said.

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Police are also examining the CCTV footage to trace the accused. Kalia is a former Cabinet minister and the former president of Punjab BJP. Senior police officers, including Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur, reached the spot to take stock of the situation.

Kaur told reporters that police received information about the explosion at around 1 am. “We have checked the spot. Our forensic teams also investigated it. We will register an FIR and further investigate the incident,” she said.

“We have secured the area,” she added. Asked whether it was a hand-grenade attack, Kaur said the forensic team has collected samples from the spot. “Whatever information we receive, we will share,” she further said.

There have been many incidents of explosions targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months. Last month, a blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar.