CHANDIGARH: A petrol bomb was allegedly hurled at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Punjab's Sangrur in the early hours of Monday, leaving burn marks on the building's outer wall.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which drew sharp reactions from the party. The BJP alleged that the growing audacity of criminals has become the "hallmark" of AAP rule.
Police said the incident occurred at around 3 am on Monday, when an unidentified person threw a glass bottle filled with petrol at the BJP office.
The bottle struck the building's outer wall before catching fire. Police said no one was injured and efforts are under way to trace those responsible.
Upon receiving information, senior police officials reached the BJP office on Uppli Road. Following an inspection of the site, they found that an ignited petrol-filled bottle had allegedly been thrown at the building from outside the compound wall.
Superintendent of Police (Detective), Sangrur, Davinder Atrri, said, "Petrol was filled in a beer bottle and it was thrown from the outer cordon of the building. A burn mark was found on the wall. We will lodge an FIR in the matter and take strict action against those behind this incident."
A forensic team has been called to collect samples. Police are scanning CCTV footage from the BJP office and nearby areas to identify those involved and determine how the attack was carried out.
Officials are also looking into whether the suspect acted alone or had accomplices. Several police teams have been formed to crack the case.
Local BJP leader Randeep Singh Deol said a staff member at the party office reported the incident. "The attack on the BJP office shows the inefficiency of the AAP government. Earlier, there was an attack on the party office in Chandigarh. It is quite unfortunate," he said.
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon condemned the incident and criticised the AAP government over the law and order situation.
"The attacks on BJP offices in Punjab, the targeting of BJP leaders, and the growing audacity of criminals have become the hallmark of the 'jungle raj' under Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal. Every attempt to silence the voice of the opposition through violence will fail. The people of Punjab are demanding answers: Is the rule of law prevailing in the state, or has it given way to lawlessness and gangsterism?" he asked.
Dhillon said the daily incidents of explosions, attacks, robberies, murders and bloodshed across Punjab clearly demonstrate that the present government has completely failed to safeguard the lives and property of its citizens. As a result, ordinary people no longer feel safe even inside their own homes.
He said the petrol bomb attack on the BJP office in Sangrur, the home district of the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, and the petrol bomb attack on a house in Patiala were clear evidence that criminals no longer feared the police.
He questioned how the rest of Punjab could be expected to remain secure when even the Home Minister's own district had witnessed such incidents.
The Punjab BJP president said this was not an isolated incident but part of a continuing series of attacks across the state. He cited the grenade attack on the Moga police station, the explosion near the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar, the grenade attack on the Punjab BJP state office, the grenade attack on the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar, the attack on a temple in Amritsar, the attack on the Gumtala police post in Amritsar, the RPG attack on the Sarhali police station, the RPG attack on the Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, and the hand grenade attack on the Bhindi Saidan police station in Amritsar, among several other major incidents.
Former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said the "explosion" at the Sangrur BJP office was extremely unfortunate and deeply concerning.
"In this difficult time, we stand strongly with each of our workers and the area's residents," he said.
The incident comes at a time when Punjab has witnessed several attacks targeting BJP-linked properties and leaders in recent months. In June, a petrol bomb was allegedly thrown at a BJP leader's clinic in Bathinda by two unidentified men, prompting a separate police investigation.
On April 1 this year, a crude explosive device was allegedly hurled at the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh, triggering a multi-agency probe. Five accused were later arrested, with Punjab Police alleging links to foreign-based handlers.