Blast inside court complex in Punjab's Ludhiana - Culprits will not be spared: Channi

Explosion is reported to have taken place around 12:22 pm in a bathroom on the second floor of the building

Police inside the court complex in Ludhiana: Twitter/@LiveLaws

TT Bureau, Agencies   |   Chandigarh   |   23.12.21:  A blast inside the district court complex here on Thursday left two people dead and three injured, police said.

The blast is reported to have taken place around 12:22 pm in a bathroom on the second floor of the building. The intensity of the blast was such that it damaged the walls of the bathroom and shattered glass panes of nearby rooms. The district court was functioning when the explosion took place, adds ndtv.com.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the area has been sealed and forensic teams will collect samples from the blast site. "An explosion was heard near the Record Room on the second floor of the Ludhiana Court complex. A bomb disposal team and forensics team have been called from Chandigarh for a probe. There is no need to panic," Bhullar was quoted by news agency ANI.

On preliminary investigations, Bhullar said at this point, it is very difficult to say anything, and added that investigation was underway.

The district court was functioning when the blast took place.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said he will visit Ludhiana to take stock of the situation.

A blast took place in Ludhiana I am going straight to Ludhiana, Channi told reporters in Chandigarh.

Some anti-national and anti-state forces are trying to commit such disgusting acts and for this the government is alert and the people should also be alert, he said, adding the culprits will not be spared.

Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the area has been sealed and forensic teams will collect samples from the blast site.

Replying to a question on preliminary investigations, Bhullar said at this point, it is very difficult to say anything, and added that investigation was underway.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was among the first prominent leaders to react to the incident. In a Twitter post, Mr Singh asked Punjab police to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Disturbing news of a blast at Ludhiana court complex. Saddened to know about the demise of 2 individuals, Praying for the recovery of those injured. @PunjabPoliceInd must get to the bottom of this.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) December 23, 2021

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener, Arvind Kejriwal, whose party is looking to making inroads into Punjab, blamed "some people" for creating law and order problems ahead of the assembly polls. "Cruelty first, blast now. Some people want to disturb the peace of Punjab. 3 crore people of Punjab will not allow their plans to succeed. we have to hold each other's hands. Sad to hear the news, my condolences to the families of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured," he tweeted in Hindi.

पहले बेअदबी, अब ब्लास्ट। कुछ लोग पंजाब की शांति भंग करना चाहते हैं। पंजाब के 3 करोड़ लोग इनके मंसूबों को कामयाब नहीं होने देंगे। हमें एक दूसरे का हाथ पकड़ कर रखना है

ख़बर सुनकर दुख हुआ, मृतकों के परिवार के साथ मेरी संवेदनाएँ एवं सभी घायलों के जल्द स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूँ

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 23, 2021

With inputs from PTI