A grenade attack on BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence in Jalandhar, Punjab, has been blamed on Zeeshan Akhtar, a close associate of feared gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Akhtar is also wanted in the murder case of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui. Sources in Punjab police have come to light that the attack was a part of a bigger conspiracy, allegedly engineered by Pakistan’s ISI, to upset religious harmony in the region.
The explosion was in the early morning hours on Tuesday, which broke windows and damaged an aluminum partition in Kalia’s residence and vehicles. No one was injured as the former Cabinet minister and state BJP president was at home.
This attack is the most recent in a string of explosions in Punjab that has raised concern among opposition parties regarding the efficacy of the Bhagwant Singh Mann government. Punjab Minister Mohinder Bhagat reported that the attack was a result of forces who were unable to bear the progress being made in the state.
The authorities have also confirmed the arrest of the prime suspect involved in hurling the grenade, and the e-rickshaw used in the attack has been confiscated.
In a dramatic turn of events, Babbar Khalsa International-connected terrorist Happy Passia claimed responsibility for the attack mere seconds after it was executed. The action suggests a potential collusion between Khalistan separatist groups and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which security agencies have been attempting to find out for quite some time now.
In the past one year, 12 blasts have taken place in Punjab, and Happy Passia has been reappearing again and again in the probes of these cases. Along with him, gangster Jeevan Fauji is also under suspicion, particularly for targeting police establishments in Amritsar.
