Patiala railway track blast: Probe underway, perpetrator dead, says govt

Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema confirmed a probe is underway into a blast on a railway track in Patiala, where the perpetrator died. The opposition Congress has slammed the AAP government's handling of law and order, demanding an NIA probe.

Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said that the probe into the blast on a railway track in Patiala is underway, and assured strict action against the perpetrators.

A blast occurred on a railway track in the Rajpura area of Patiala district after a detonation attempt was made late Monday night. According to Patiala Police, the person who carried out the detonation attempt died, while no other casualties or property damage were reported.

Harpal Singh Cheema told ANI, "Our Intelligence Agencies are investigating the matter. Action will be taken against those found guilty."

Patiala Police have described the incident as an attempted detonation. According to Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Varun Sharma, the police teams are collecting scientific evidence from the site and have launched a detailed investigation in coordination with the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

AAP Govt Faces Flak Over Security

However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has faced strong criticism over the law and order situation following this incident.

Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of not being serious regarding such incidents. Calling it a threat to national security, the Congress leader demanded an NIA probe.

The Congress MP told ANI, "This is the second attempt in the last three months, and we do not have any information about the first case. This is the busiest route, so if the blast had been a success, then God knows how many lives would have been lost. Even the government of India knows that the Punjab CM is not serious and does not bother with the things happening in Punjab. This is a threat to National security and not just the security of Punjab. NIA should have taken over the incident earlier."

Earlier today, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused the AAP government of being limited to serving its own interests and prioritising its survival in the state, rather than maintaining law and order.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)