CHANDIGARH: A low-intensity blast took place on a railway track near Bothonia village between Shambu and Rajpura in Patiala district of Punjab, damaging a section of the line, in which an alleged accused died while attempting to plant the bomb as it exploded.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Police said they have solved the case and busted a Pakistan’s ISI-backed pro-Khalistan terror module, arresting four suspects who are “radicalised” and habitual criminals, and recovering a heavy quantity of militant hardware including arms and ammunition from their possession.
Sources said that the explosion, reported around 10 pm yesterday, occurred on a rail line primarily used for freight movement.
The police recovered and seized wires and other materials from the blast site, besides two motorcycles and a damaged mobile phone.
The body found at the blast site has been identified by the police as that of 35-year-old Jagroop Singh, belonging to Panjwar village in Tarn Taran.
He was a supporter of Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh and had campaigned for him during the parliamentary elections.
Singh, who is married and has two daughters, was earlier clean-shaven but later began following Sikh practices and became a Nihang. He had also worked in Dubai for some time.
His younger brother, Satnam Singh, who runs a flour mill in the native village, has been detained by police after they searched their house early this morning.
Villagers said that Singh had no criminal record and was never involved in any controversy.
The four alleged accused who have been arrested are Pardeep Singh Khalsa of Mansa, Kulwinder Singh of Bappiana village also in Mansa, Satnam Singh of Tarn Taran, and Gurpreet Singh of Goindwal bypass in Tarn Taran.
The police said that a hand grenade, two .30 bore pistols with ammunition, technically sophisticated communication devices meant for further detonations, and laptops used to communicate with handlers in Malaysia and arms suppliers in Pakistan have been recovered.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Patiala Range) Kuldeep Chahal and Senior Superintendent of Police of Patiala Varun Sharma said that a pro-Khalistan terror module was responsible for the late-night attempted detonation at the railway track near Shambu and that it had been traced within a record span of 12 hours.
“Four accused have been arrested in this regard and they have many cases of heinous offences registered against them. Of these four accused, Pardeep Singh Khalsa, who had formed a radical outfit named Chalda Vaheer Chakarwarti, Attariye, was the main kingpin and was in close contact with a Malaysia-based pro-Khalistan terrorist and in contact with Pakistan-based arms suppliers. He used to send radicalised youth to Malaysia for terror training and then assign them with different tasks to carry out terror activities,” said Chahal.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Patiala, Varun Sharma, said that these accused were planning further attacks on public infrastructure and added that during initial interrogation, it also came to light that the arrested accused persons had conducted a low-intensity IED blast at the main line of Shambu railway station.
In this regard, a case has been registered under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act, Section 25 of the Arms Act, and Sections 13, 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at Police Station Kotwali in Patiala.
Speaking to the media, Jagroop Singh’s mother, who did not reveal her name, said her son left home yesterday evening and, before leaving, told her that he was going to give his life to God.
She added that police picked up her younger son Satnam this morning. “I want my younger son back. He has no involvement in anything and was quietly running the flour mill. Both Jagroop and Satnam have two daughters each. It was Satnam who was looking after the family while Jagroop was a devout follower of Dal Panth,” she added.
The railway track suffered damage, and officials are carrying out repair work at the site. Some trains have been diverted temporarily.
Forensic experts were called in to collect samples and examine the scene to determine the nature and cause of the explosion. Officials are working to piece together the sequence of events and assess whether any sabotage angle is involved.
Multiple agencies, including the CIA unit, forensic experts and the bomb disposal squad, have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion.
Following the incident, senior officers, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police, reached the site to oversee the response. Teams from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) also arrived at the site.
Senior officials, including DIG Kuldeep Singh Chahal and SSP Varun Sharma, rushed to the spot soon after the incident was reported.
The blast comes months after a similar incident took place in January on the dedicated freight corridor in Sirhind, in Fatehgarh Sahib district, which had damaged a train engine and left a loco pilot injured.
Both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal have criticised the AAP-led Punjab government over the incident, raising questions over law and order.
Punjab Congress President and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, wrote on X, “Punjab has woken up to two disturbing incidents of killing of two persons in Batala and a bomb blast on the railway track between Rajpura and Shambhu in Patiala district. These are ominous indications. The hard-earned peace is at stake in Punjab. With the Aam Aadmi Party government already preoccupied to ensure its survival, it is obvious that the saboteurs and criminals are exploiting the situation. We have been repeatedly cautioning and warning the government against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Sadly, the government’s priorities remain confined to its own survival rather than saving the life and property of the people of Punjab. Instead of keeping an eye on the criminals and saboteurs, the AAP government seems to be busy keeping an eye on its own MLAs for obvious reasons.”
Senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the explosion on the Shambhu–Ambala track, which damaged the line and led to the recovery of a mutilated body, had disrupted train services and pointed to a worrying pattern.
He questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the government’s response, alleging there has been no clear action plan or high-level review on law and order.
He wrote on X, “Massive explosion on the Shambhu-Ambala railway track, tracks damaged, body mutilated, train services halted. After Sirhind blast and suspicious recovery in Gurdaspur, repeated incidents raise serious security concerns in Punjab. What is Chief Minister and Home Minister @BhagwantMann doing amid this situation. No clear action plan or high level review on law and order so far.”
Accusing the government of misusing the police for political purposes, he further wrote, “Police being used as a political tool, with security decisions driven by political considerations rather than public safety. Busy protecting those defacing MPs’ houses with ‘gaddar’ graffiti and shielding truck union leaders, while the common citizen suffers.”
Calling it a “serious failure”, he questioned accountability, asking who would take responsibility and how many such incidents would occur before corrective action is taken.